Moana is an animated Disney movie from 2016. The sequel was just released, so it’s time to reminisce on some fun facts about Moana from the first movie.
Maui Was Going To Be The Main Character
Originally Maui was going to be the main character and the plot was completely different. The movie’s name was going to be Mighty Maui. He was going to help Moana find her lost lover.
Moana Means Ocean
The word “moana” means ocean in many Polynesian languages. This is how her name was chosen for the movie.
There Is A Little Mermaid Easter Egg
The directors, John Musker and Ron Clements also co-directed The Little Mermaid. They decided to add a little Easter egg as a nod to the movie. During the song You’re Welcome you can see Flounder swimming amongst the other fish for a split second.
Moana’s Necklace Is Symbolic
Moana’s necklace that she wears is tan on the top and blue on the bottom. This is symbolic of her connection to the land and the sea.
Voice Auditions Were Not Held For Maui
The crew did not hold voice auditions for the character Maui. They knew Dwayne Johnson would be perfect to voice him, so he was the only person they considered.
Hawaiian Airlines Painted 3 Planes With Moana
Hawaiian Airlines wanted to celebrate Disney’s first Polynesian princess, so they did this by painted 3 of their planes with pictures of Moana and Maui. They also added Moana decals to the overhead bins inside the plane.
Maui Was Going To Be Bald
In early drawings of Maui, he was bald, just like The Rock who voices Maui. The Polynesian cultural advisers were not into this and wanted him to have long, lush hair.
There Is A Frozen Easter Egg
Remember Sven, the reindeer from the movie Frozen? You can see him real quick in Moana. When Maui gets his hook back he has a hard time shapeshifting at first and accidentally turns himself into Sven for a second.
A New Water Animation Tool Was Built For This Movie
The water in this movie is seriously impressive and so beautiful. Disney did not have the right tools to perfectly animate the water, so they had to build a whole new animation system to get the water just right.
Moana’s Outfit Is Symbolic
Moana’s outfit is mainly red and has some tan too. The red on her outfit is to symbolize her royal roots.
The Team Went To The South Pacific
People on the Moana team including animators, directors, and producers went on research trips to the South Pacific. They went sailing, went to the villages, and talked to many people who live there to learn all about it.
Fans Wanted More Of The Pig
Pua is the lovable pig that you see go everywhere with Moana in the beginning of the movie. Fans wanted more Pua because you just don’t see much more of him after that. Instead we were left with Hei Hei the crazy chicken who went on the journey with Moana.