Moana (2016)
- To accurately portray their role in Moana, Auliʻi Cravalho spent weeks conducting hands-on research and rehearsing directly with director John Musker, Ron Clements.
- Despite initial studio skepticism, Moana went on to gross over $687,200,000 worldwide.
Moana is a 2016 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The film follows Moana Waialiki, the spirited daughter of a Polynesian village chief, who is chosen by the ocean itself to restore the heart of Te Fiti — a mystical stone stolen by the demigod Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, whose theft has caused a spreading darkness that threatens all life on the islands. Against her father's wishes, Moana sails beyond the reef and tracks down the exiled Maui, persuading the reluctant, egotistical demigod to join her quest across the open ocean.
Moana represented a significant cultural milestone for Disney, as the studio assembled a "Oceanic Story Trust" of Pacific Island cultural experts, historians, and community leaders to ensure authentic representation of Polynesian culture, navigation traditions, and mythology. Lin-Manuel Miranda, fresh from the global phenomenon of Hamilton, co-wrote the original songs with Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina, blending Broadway-style musical numbers with Pacific Island musical traditions. "How Far I'll Go" became one of Disney's most successful original songs since Frozen's "Let It Go," and Dwayne Johnson's performance of "You're Welcome" became a viral sensation. The film's depiction of traditional Polynesian wayfinding — celestial navigation across thousands of miles of open ocean — celebrated an extraordinary cultural achievement that had been largely overlooked in Western popular culture.
Moana earned $687 million worldwide and received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.
