Notice! This post contains SPOILERS for Moana 2The world of Disney Moana & Moana 2 is incredibly vibrant, inspired by real-life Polynesian culture, mythologies, and history. Starring the daughter of an island chief who leaves her home to become her village’s traveling trailblazer, Moana of Motunui (Auli’i Cravalho) befriends the demigod Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) as they adventure through the Pacific Ocean. As seen in both films, the world of Moana the franchise is quite rich and a lot of fun to explore.
Moana and Moana 2 are widely praised for their accuracy and inspiration from multiple Polynesian cultures. Moana’s island of Motonui and its village are essentially a mix of several Pacific nations rather than any specific culture. As such, the result is a stunning mix of elements that serve to simultaneously represent multiple groups of Pacific Islanders. To that end, here is Disney World Moana explained including its setting, real-life inspirations, languages used, mythological characters and much more.
Where is Moana set?
The Pacific Ocean and the Polynesian Islands
THE Moana The films are set in the Pacific Ocean, specifically in the region of Polynesia and its many islands in the South Pacific. That being said, the islands and several locations are all fictional, such as the predominant island of Motunui where Moana lives with her family and village. That said, the majority of both films take place on the open sea, with Moana sailing her boat to save her people and answering the call of her ancestors.
The films also feature more fantastical places visited by Moana and Maui, such as Lalotai, the mythological realm of monsters. Likewise, the end of Moana 2 confirms that there are other islands and people besides the village of Motunui in Moana. To that end, there is also the central island of Motufetū with its canals intended to help connect the various island nations.
When Moana and Moana 2 happens
2,000 years ago, during “The Long Pause”
Moana and Moana 2 both take place 2,000 years ago. Likewise, the films take place specifically during a period in real Polynesian history known as “The Long Pause.”. Western Polynesia was settled more than 3,000 years ago, with its people using boats and sailing with the stars to find islands such as Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. Likewise, these mentoring techniques are referenced in the films as Moana learns to become a trailblazer on Maui. However, for reasons unknown to historians and scholars, the islands of Central and Eastern Polynesia (Bora Bora, Easter Island, Tahiti and Hawaii) were not colonized until 2,000 years later.
As such, the end of “The Long Pause” is where the Moana movies happen. Not only do Disney films provide creative and supernatural reasons for “The Long Pause,” but dark forces make the seas too dangerous to sail., but they also show how the search for new lands has resumed thanks to Moana and her love of the ocean in this fictional version of the South Pacific. That said, it’s also fun to see more modern references to tweets, dials, fanfiction and stickers, despite the film being set more than two millennia ago.
What Moana is based on
Inspired by real-life Polynesian culture and mythology
As noted above, the Moana The films are directly inspired by ancient Polynesian culture and its various nations. When developing the first Moana film, Disney formed an “Oceanic Trust” with several scholars and cultural consultants to help ensure that the Polynesian inspirations were respectful and historically accurate. This included everything from the thatched roofs of Motunui’s homes, to the pits they used for cooking, their ceremonial clothing and attire, the way they handled coconuts and their Saoman-inspired tattoos.
Disney’s Oceanic Trust also brought some drastic but very significant changes. This notably includes the request for Maui to be given his long hair when his character was originally portrayed as bald during development, as hair is a source of a demigod’s power according to true Polynesian mythology). As such, there is so much detail in each element that harkens back to true Polynesian cultures, right down to the Fijian-style boat design from ancient South Pacific history.
Moana’s Gods and Demigods Explained
Maui, Te Fiti, Nalo and more
THE Moana films feature several different supernatural beings and sea gods. Dwayne Johnson’s Maui is naturally the most prominent, a trickster demigod and folktale hero from true Polynesian myth, responsible for the creation of the Hawaiian Islands, having pulled them in with his hook. In Moana 2Maui uses her grappling hook to pull up the sunken island of Motufetu to reconnect the islands that were lost from each other with the help of Moana and her oar, having herself become a powerful demigod as well.
It is also said that Maui stole fire from the underworld and gave it to the people, as well as capturing the sun to make the days longer. As such, many of his exploits are heard in his debut song “You’re Welcome” and appear in his ever-changing tattoos. However, Maui is not the only supernatural being in the world. Moana films. There is also Te Fiti, a goddess with the power to create life who she used to create the Polynesian islands, and her darker half, Te Kā, a lava monster who emerged when Maui stole her heart (a pounamu stone), who it also resulted in a plague began to threaten islands such as Motunui.
THE Moana The films also have their fair share of supernatural villains like Nalo, a dark storm god who sank Motofetū to keep the island nations separate from each other, and Tamatoa, a giant crab and rival of Maui who also sought to claim the heart of Te Fiti. There is also Matangi in Moana 2 who appears to be another demigod, someone who can control bats and is forced to serve Nalo. That being said, she secretly helped Moana and her team reunite with Maui to reach Motofetū using a portal.
The people of the ocean
A network of island nations (separate and reunited)
As confirmed in Moana 2Moana and her island nation of Motunui are not alone in the vast expanse that is the largest ocean on the planet. They were simply separated from them millennia ago due to the sinking of Motofetū and its canals by Nalo, as well as Maui’s theft of Te Fiti’s heart, which made the oceans too dangerous to travel. Now that Te Fiti and Motofetu have been restored, the various Polynesian islands and their people finally have a way to safely cross the ocean and connect with each other.
After the meeting of different pathfinders from other villages after Motofetu was brought back to the surface, the implication at the end of the Moana 2 is that “The Long Pause” has come to an end now that the wider ocean is safer to travel. As such, it also created a potential Moana 3 where finding new islands with new friends could be on the cards. However, it is also important to note Moana 2 the post-credits scene teased Nalo’s revenge with Matangi and Tamatoa, suggesting that there may still be obstacles before the Ocean People can begin heading further east, as in the ancient Polynesian story.
Moana’s languages explained
Samoan, Tokelauan, Māori and more
While the Moana The films are predominantly in English, there are several moments where several Polynesian languages can be heard. This notably includes the song “We Know The Way” from the first film with Samoan, Tokelauan and Tuvaluan words. Likewise, both Maui and Moana perform hakas in Moana and Moana 2a traditional Māori dance involving vigorous movement and singing. As such, it’s really cool to see so many different languages and cultures being represented in Disney films. Moanafurther enriching the viewing experience of these Polynesian-inspired stories.
Moana 2 It’s now showing in theaters.