Moana may have broken a Disney Princess design rule with its titular character, but straying from tradition actually improved the movie. Moana was a hit in theaters on its 2016 release and enhanced Disney’s newer roster of Princesses, including Elsa, Anna, and Merida who break many of the old Disney Princess traditions. Moana is set on the Polynesian island of Motunui and incorporated many elements never before seen from the venerable animation studio.
The original story of Moana was meant to focus on the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and the mythology of Polynesia, but, after thorough research trips to Fiji, Tahiti, and Samoa, directors Ron Clements and John Musker flipped the narrative to focus on Moana. Moana was created with the purpose of correctly representing the Polynesian culture. Clements and Musker did this through their research trips and the establishment of the Oceanic Story Trust which brought on a range of experts to ensure their characters and scenes were culturally accurate. Moana’s cast features mainly actors with Polynesian heritage as well, and the focus on this Polynesian heritage in Moana and accurate representation meant a truly unique Disney Princess story.
To ensure accurate cultural representation, Moana broke a Disney Princess Design rule by taking character inspiration from real-life young women. Usually, the Disney Princesses are inspired by idolized celebrities, professional actors or the characters’ voice actors, family members, and art. According to Disney Princess: Beyond The Tiara, Moana’s inspiration was the young women the filmmakers actually met in the Pacific Islands during their research trips which adds a lot more authenticity to the story. Moana is the first Disney movie to break this design tradition, and Moana is the first Princess to not have these other design inspirations applied to the character at all – Moana is solely designed from the real-life women of the Pacific Islands in a creative decision that ultimately benefits the movie.
Why Moana Breaking The Disney Princess Design Trend Is Important
Moana breaking another Disney Princess trend is massively important to the movie, as it shows commitment from the filmmakers to the authenticity of the Polynesian people and culture represented on screen. Disney movies often feature Princesses with magic and unrealistic love stories which seem unachievable to audiences. So, the decision to base Moana on real people instead of family members or idolized celebrities means Disney produced a character that gives a sense of real people with whom audiences are already familiar.
Also, using real people means Disney is able to more accurately represent different cultures. As Disney starts to diversify their movies and Princesses, it is important this is done correctly and to the highest level of authenticity possible. Moana strays from Disney tradition to allow Moana’s cultural authenticity to come through and ensures that Polynesian culture is correctly represented.