Moana (2016)
A Disney original story.
Intro song (“Tulou Tagaloa”). On the Polynesian island of Motunui, the inhabitants worshipped the goddess of nature, Te Fiti (a living island who brought life to the ocean long ago using a pounamu stone as her heart and the source of her power). Maui, the trickster, shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea and master of sailing, stole the heart to give humanity the power of creation. This caused Te Fiti to disintegrate, and Maui was attacked by Te Kā, a volcanic demon. He lost both the heart and his magic fish hook to the depths of the sea.
A thousand years later, the ocean chooses Moana, daughter of Motunui's chief Tui, to return the heart to Te Fiti (“An Innocent Warrior”). Over the course of 16 years, as Moana grows up, she is drawn to the ocean but Tui and Sina, Moana's father and mother, try to keep her away from the ocean to prepare her to become the island's chief which Moana learns to accept (“Where You Are”). One day, blight strikes the island, killing vegetation and shrinking the fish catch. Moana suggests going beyond the island's reef with her pet pig Pua to find more fish and find out what is happening, but Tui forbids it (“How Far I’ll Go”). Moana tries conquering the reef but is overpowered by the tides and shipwrecked. That afternoon, Moana's grandmother Tala shows her a secret cave of ships, revealing that their people were voyagers until Maui stole Te Fiti's heart; the ocean was no longer safe without it (“We Know the Way”). Tala explains that Te Kā's darkness is poisoning the island, but can be cured if Moana finds Maui and has him restore the heart of Te Fiti. Having been given the heart by the ocean, Tala gives it to Moana. Tala later falls ill and, on her deathbed, tells Moana that she must depart to find Maui. Moana sets sail on a camakau from the cavern along with her dimwitted pet rooster, Heihei, who has stowed away on it.
Moana and Heihei are caught in a typhoon and shipwrecked on an island where she finds Maui, who boasts about his achievements (“You’re Welcome”). She demands that Maui return the heart, but he refuses and traps her in a cave before leaving on her boat. She escapes and confronts Maui, who reluctantly lets her on the camakau. They are attacked by Kakamora, coconut pirates who seek the heart, but Moana and Maui outwit them. Moana realizes Maui is no longer a hero since he stole the heart and cursed the world, and convinces him to redeem himself by returning the heart. Maui first needs to retrieve his magical fishhook in Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters, from Tamatoa, a giant coconut crab.
Moana and Maui reach and enter Lalotai where they encounter many strange creatures and Tamatoa. While Moana distracts Tamatoa, Maui retrieves his hook, only to find himself unable to control his shape-shifting (“Shiny”). He is overpowered by Tamatoa, but Moana's quick thinking allows them to escape with the hook. Maui reveals that his first tattoo was earned when his mortal parents abandoned him as an infant, and the gods, taking pity on him, granted him his powers. After reassurance from Moana, Maui teaches her the art of way-finding, regaining control of his powers, and the two grow closer (“Logo Te Pate”).
They arrive at Te Fiti's island, only to be attacked by Te Kā. Moana refuses to turn back, resulting in Maui's hook being badly damaged. Unwilling to lose his hook again, Maui abandons Moana, who asks the ocean to find someone else to restore the heart and loses hope. The ocean obliges and takes the heart, but Tala's spirit appears, inspiring Moana to find her true calling (“Know Who You Are” & “I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)”). She retrieves the heart and sails back to confront Te Kā. Maui returns, having had a change of heart, and buys Moana time to reach Te Fiti by fighting Te Kā, destroying his hook in the process. Upon being unable to find Te Fiti, Moana realizes Te Kā is Te Fiti, corrupted without her heart. The ocean clears a path for Moana, allowing her to return the heart to Te Fiti, who heals the ocean and islands of blight. Maui apologizes to Te Fiti, who fixes his hook before falling into a deep sleep and becoming an island. Moana bids farewell to Maui and Te Fiti, returning home and reuniting with her parents. She takes up her role as chief and wayfinder, leading her people as they resume voyaging, accompanied by Maui (“We Know the Way”).
A post-credits scene features Tamatoa still stuck upside down after being defeated by Moana and Maui.
TRIVIA
Visual Style
To ensure cultural accuracy, the studio created what was dubbed the "Oceanic Story Trust". The group consisted of anthropologists, cultural practitioners, historians, linguists, and choreographers from islands including Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Mo'orea, and New Zealand. The trust served as consultants for the filmmakers and played a major role in developing every aspect of the movie.
Deleted Scene(s)
Multiple deleted scenes explore the father-daughter relationship between Tui and Moana as well as the differences between Tala and Tui’s viewpoints on raising Moana.
Easter Egg(s)
On Tamatoa’s shell, there is Genie’s lamp from Aladdin.
During the intro scene, the villagers are airing out a carpet which is similar to the carpet from Aladdin; the healing flower from Tangled can also be seen in the flora of Motunui.
During Maui’s song, one of the fish seen is Flounder from The Little Mermaid
As Moana packs her boat to leave, the arm and nose of Olaf can be seen in her supplies.
During Maui’s initial attempts to transform, one of the animals he transforms into is Sven from Frozen
One of the Kakamora has face paint in the design of Baymax from Big Hero 6
Music
The music will be a fusion of the three collaborators, with the Pacific roots of Opetaia, the sense of narrative from Miranda, and Macina's sense of "world music". The music focuses on vocal and percussive elements.