Moana is having a banner year in 2024 with its long-awaited sequel Moana 2 already grossing over $700 million at the global box office and a live-action film in the works. With Disney Cruise Line fast approaching the opening of its latest ship, Disney Treasure, a third project has joined the ranks of Motunui representation. Sure to become a fan favorite, the Broadway-quality production retells the story of the first film and retains the catchy songs and big heart that made it such a hit.
The Tale of Moana features gorgeous animatronic and puppet work courtesy of visual artist Michael Curry, who previously designed the masks and puppets for the Disney film The Lion King on Broadway. The chorus of dancers that make up the village of Motunui also does double duty in representing the ocean that chose Moana and watches over her on her journey, and the anthropomorphic water is choreographed to perfection by Peter Rockford Espiritu, who epitomized many aspects of authentic Polynesian culture . and Pacific Island dances to create movements that work for The Tale of Moana.
TelaRant I had the incredible opportunity to witness a preview presentation of The Tale of Moana aboard the Disney Treasure for a 3-day press trip ahead of the ship's maiden voyage. We also interviewed Espiritu about his work with the performers and director Connor Gallagher (who previously directed Beauty and the beast for Disney Live Entertainment, as well as Beetle juice on Broadway). The creatives revealed some of the challenges faced by the production, which has been in the works for several years, and what makes it so special for the cruise audience.
The Tale of Moana Director Appreciates the Cultural Diversity of Cruise Line's Newest Show
“You're getting all these new voices that you wouldn't have seen on a Disney ship, which is really cool.”
ScreenRant: I know The Tale of Moana It took years to make. How early did you get involved and what did it take to get to opening night?
Connor Gallagher: I'll give you a quick rundown of how this all started. I directed Beauty and the Beast in 2017, which was difficult. I remember saying, “I either want to do something really crazy that no one expects to see, or I want to do something easy and fun.” And here we are doing that very difficult but also fun thing.
We did the development process until the pandemic slowed us down, but we went through all the steps to build it. And then we traveled all over the world; I met Peter and Aaron Sala [the music and cultural consultant] in Hawaii, but we did our casting all over the world.
Part of it is just figuring out how you do Moana on a Disney ship that also has other stories to tell. You still need someone to play Belle and you still need someone to play Gaston. You still need all these people who have so much talent, and who can also be part of this show and dance.
The next question is: how to create the most culturally diverse production ever seen on a Disney ship? It's crazy, you see people from all over the world singing and dancing and doing what they do so beautifully. I've been a part of this whole process and I've been excited to see the future casts for years and years to come. You're getting all these new voices that you wouldn't have seen on a Disney ship, which is really cool.
ScreenRant: Does your directorial vision remain the same for future iterations on Disney ships?
Connor Gallagher: Yes, which is amazing. I directed Beauty and the Beast, which is here, but I didn't direct this version. It's exactly the same show, but they build a different set and have a team in Toronto that does it.
ScreenRant: At what point do you tell Hei Hei and Pua that they can't come along?
Connor Gallagher: I did a treatment for this in 2018, and it's literally about how much story we can pack into an hour. Part of it is, when we follow Maui and Moana, do we really want to follow it to scale? It's hard on these shows, and we deal with that on Tangled too.
You start to think: “Is it worth having a puppeteer present in every scene?” Then you look at this canoe and think: “Where is the puppeteer going?” We don't have close-ups and this is all to scale. Then it starts to just be about the process of elimination.
Very early on, we decided there would be no sequel to Hei Hei and Kakamora. It's also because some of these things are good for laughs and are an exaggeration of the culture. They're not the celebration we wanted them to be, so we have to decide what's going to feel authentic and what's going to feel a little offensive. We just got what felt like really the heart of the show.
ScreenRant: Finally, which sequence was the most challenging for you to shoot?
Connor Gallagher: The Te Kā and Te Fiti scene. It's a very long sequence that requires everyone to be attentive. The puppeteers of the puppet cannot see, so many can see where, when and how they move. So we have to take lighting into consideration, so it's very challenging.
And then it all ends with that beautiful transformation, which took forever. It was incredible. It was difficult.
The Tale Of Moana choreographer reveals the challenges of the battle against Te Kā
“When you're actually on the ship and it's rocking, you don't know what it's like.”
TelaRant: The Tale of Moana follows the film's intention of anthropomorphizing water. How did you decide or develop the movements that would lean into the living ocean?
Peter Rockford Espiritu: The problem with this water, specifically the ocean, is that it needed to have emotion. I had to make the dancers be the water and the element, but also understand that this element is emotionally tied to Moana.
The ocean chose Moana and, like any water, it can be very gentle, luxurious and calm, but it can also be brutal. When the water is fighting Te Kā, for example, the dancers have to be in one direction before they settle and the ocean allows Te Kā to be Te Fiti.
ScreenRant: Speaking of Te Kā and Te Fiti, how do you train your dancers to interact with the incredible animatronics featured in The Tale of Moana?
Peter Rockford Espiritu: The dolls were all from Michael Curry's group, which is based in Portland. They were the same people who generated The Lion King, so they had to have separate training with that. Then we had to make a move on top of that.
The question is: how will it move? How does the baby float and get there? That's my side. I have to take what they taught the dancers and then choreograph how it goes from A to B.
ScreenRant: The opening number, “Where You Are,” is so lovely. How long does it take to choreograph just that?
Peter Rockford Spirit: It depends. It's like writing a song. Some songs come right away, and they manage to do it just like that; some don't. Sometimes you have to rewrite. We choreographed it, looked at it and thought, “This doesn’t work” and started from scratch.
On average, I would say each section takes about a week or so. Then you step back, look again, and adjust a little to see what works.
ScreenRant: Was there any section that was most challenging for you to prepare for opening night?
Peter Rockford Espiritu: Oh, it would have to be the battle of Te Kā because we had a puppet, but it wasn't all done yet. Also, we had a huge space, but when you're actually on the ship and it's rocking, you don't know what that's like spatially. It might look good in rehearsal, but when you walk into the theater you need to think about sight lines. Where are people looking and what are their rights in terms of spacing.
More about Disney Cruise Line's Disney Treasure
Set your compass toward Disney Treasure, the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, where the spirit of adventure meets the bold stories of classic Disney films and Disney park attractions. Disney Treasure will embark on its inaugural voyage – a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida – on December 21, 2024, followed by an inaugural season of 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral. Canaveral.