It’s very clear to anyone watching the movie that these core values have been tied closely to the narrative. Many Polynesian cultures place importance on tattoos, considering them to be deeply meaningful as well as personal and a constant reminder of that person’s values and identity. It’s considered a taboo to wear markings of that which you are not spiritually or physically connected to. I believe it’s important to understand other people’s cultures. I love reading travel blogs, watching movies and documentaries about a place and scanning news articles to help me better understand all of the incredible cultures found in every corner of the globe.

We know that cultures across each of the Pacific i slands differ (as should be expected), but I’m really struggling to understand why there was such a heavy focus on this research, only for a Hawaiian actress to be cast and a Hawaiian Airlines partnership to be created. I bought this book not realizing it was a chapter book, with no pictures. I bought it for my 3 yr old so it will not work for her at this time. Some are confused by this misunderstanding of their Gods and Goddesses, thus marking the Moana film as unbalanced and culturally inauthentic – something the corporation was really trying to avoid. 4. A hometown built around the idea of coconuts has not been the way to go.Even those who have never once left their hometown are sure to be descended from travellers who sought new lands, new cultures, foods, materials and new experiences. Some say Te Fiti is a personalisa tion of the island of Tahiti, which is also pan Polynesian for “a faraway place”. This to me seems like a fair analysis. Since watching Moana, those questions spinning around my brain on whether it’s sympathetic to the true Pacific Island cultures (albeit complex and varying) have continued to come into focus within my mind. Maui is thought to have a Goddess counterpart called Hina. But the Disney version omitted her completely, in favour of a mortal heroine. It’s a shame more children around the world don’t know more about other cultures. Some may never leave their hometown (even as adults).

Perhaps Disney should have settled on just one culture rather than trying to tie them in with one another? To be honest, I'm not sure what, exactly, I expected the writing quality to be, but it really was stellar. The story is told in chapter form, with legends from the past intermingled between a few of the chapters. The vocabulary was higher than expected, for sure (turns out, it's a level 6.0), as I rather thought at first that it would be watered down. Boy, was I wrong. And if you’ve not seen this in the news, then you only need to type: “the story of Moana ”or “ Moana true story” into Google to find all kinds of debates, news stories and articles about this movie and its representations of Polynesian cultures. Since being criticised of being a little “racist” after producing Aladdin in 1992, Disney has fought hard to banish that image over the years to produce movies based on cultures from all around the world with plenty of research behind them.Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped, and no one knows why…

Tulou Tagaloa • An Innocent Warrior • Where You Are • How Far I'll Go • We Know the Way • You're Welcome • Shiny • Logo Te Pate • I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors) • Know Who You Are Thought to be set within Samoa, the story of Moana centres around a female Pacific Islander (the first central Disney character to ever have this description) who wishes to explore the world by sea. An awareness of the troubles in their world, an awareness of the potential causes of those troubles, plus their relationship and respect for nature have all been portrayed. We must also remember that teaching different ways of life and cultures to children can never be a bad thing.However, as should be expected, the beliefs throughout these cultures, although similar in some ways, do differ in many other ways. Related: 60+ Quotes About Hawaii & Proverbs From The Rainbow State What are the critical perceptions of Moana? Moana • Maui • Gramma Tala • Chief Tui • Sina • Heihei • Pua • Mini Maui • Tamatoa • Kakamora • Te Fiti/Te Kā • Ocean • Eight-Eyed Bats • Matai Vasa • Motunui Villagers However, coconuts have been previously attributed to describe Polynesian individuals (in a very negative way). Moana and Maui said goodbye. Their journey together was complete. Maui transformed into a hawk and flew away. It was time for Moana to return to her people. The young girl from Motunui Island now knew exactly who she was meant to be. She was a daughter, a leader, and a way-finder. She was Moana. You may also like to read, Princess Aurora.

Clements himself has said: “We took a trip to Fiji, Samoa and Tahiti, which really was the basis of the movie in terms of the connection to navigation, to people’s connection to their ancestry, and respect for nature – a lot of those ideas came from that first research trip, and the movie was heavily inspired by that.”Personally, I think a few slights are either acceptable or even necessary. I’m very sided with “reality is never an insult unless made as such in context.” It’s very clear from marketing campaigns that Disney had partnered with Hawaiian Airlines to help promote the movie. In fact, this partnership even went so far as the airline producing three Moana-themed Airbuses! Anyway, one of the reasons why I got into this whole blogging malarkey was for discussions exactly like this one. It’s always interesting hearing other people’s perspectives on things. For instance, your first comment on the use of coconuts – I’d never have looked at this in the same way, but your point is a totally valid one. Which leads me on nicely to the rest of your points – all totally sound arguments. And I love the fact that my article prompted such a passionate response 😉