Walt Disney Animation Studios have a long and illustrious history of telling stories from around the world; starting with some of the most well-known fairy tales from European tradition – stories like the German tale of Snow White, the French version of Cinderella, or the British Peter Pan, originally written by Scottish Author J.M. Barrie but steeped in English folklore and tradition, were some of Disney’s earliest animated endeavors.
As time has gone on, Disney’s storytelling has expanded to include a wider scope of stories and the cultures that tell them. In 1995, Disney released Pocahontas, a anglicized and fictionalized account of the real-life figure – who, unlike the movie’s titular character, was kidnapped by colonists at the age of fifteen, and led a very different life from the one that Disney portrayed.
This fictionalization of real-life people and cultures quickly became a point of contention among intersectional communities, and Disney has since dedicated time and attention during the development process to ensure that the cultures and stories they represent in their films is beloved by all – including those who are a part of these cultures and stories.
Since then, Disney’s representation of stories from different cultures has grown to include films like Moana, which released in 2016 and deals with the culture and traditions of Oceania and the people of the Pacific Islands. In 2011, five years before the release of the original Moana, filmmakers John Musker and Rom Clements took a research trip to the Pacific Islands. They spoke with anthropologists, cultural experts, historians, and wayfinders from Fiji, Mo’orea, Samoa, Tahiti, and other islands to gather information and learn of the experiences of Pacific Islanders throughout history.
This information would become integral in the inspiration and fine-tuning of the film’s details, including costumes and the mythology that makes up the Moana world. This intensive research and the collaboration between the Walt Disney Animation Studio and the litany of experts and indigenous people led to the establishing of the Oceanic Cultural Trust, a collective that has assisted Disney in the production of both Moana films.
Jared Bush, screenwriter for both Moana and Moana 2, says that there was a “constant back and forth” with the Oceanic Cultural Trust during the production of both films, to ensure historical and cultural accuracy and respect were maintained at the highest level during the production of this globalized film. “We are constantly checking in. And that could be with a master tattoo artist, with a choreographer, with a historian, or an expert Pacific linguist. On top of that, we have an amazing cast who are from across the Pacific region. And then we have Dana Ledoux Miller, whose family is from Samoa, as well as [director] David Derrick Jr., whose family is from Samoa. It’s really important to have many perspectives.”
Disney’s work alongside the Oceanic Cultural Trust set the bar remarkably high for the representation presented in Moana, ensuring a thoroughly vetted world and rich, realistic characters with deep ties to their culture. “The first Moana set the gold standard for how we work with a creative cultural trust,” adds Derrick, who directs Moana 2 with Miller and Jason Hand. “Every step of the way, they helped inform not only the choices we were making in the story, but also the look of the canoes, of the islands, of the plants, of the animals, and of what everyone was wearing.”
The head of the Oceanic Cultural Trust, Kalikolehua Hurley, was born and raised in Mililani, O’ahu – the third largest and most densely populated island of Hawaiian Islands. Along with consultant Lāiana Kanoa-Wong and animation choreographer Tiana Nonosina Liufau, Walt Disney Animation Studio was able to fine-tune the culture represented in the film down to some of the smallest details.
“We would have moments where we would lean on [Liufau],” Kevin Webb, a head animator on Moana 2, recalls. “We’d say, ‘Hey, we need something here that feels specific to the region and specific to this moment.’ And she might just send us a little video clip of a hand pose or a finger position […] that was also true to the region and the culture.” This allowed the animators to better choreograph the characters’ movements while also intertwining cultural significance into everything they did, down to gestures and movements. And because these gestures held so much significance in the cultures they originated in, Disney worked with the Oceanic Cultural Trust to ensure they preserved the cultural weight of these small details.
The Oceanic Cultural Trust have even contributed consultation for new apparel, books, games and toys based on Moana, and collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering during the development of Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, at Walt Disney World Resort’s EPCOT park.
Moana 2 shattered box office records in its opening weekend, making a staggering 389 million worldwide. Native Hawaiian Kanoa-Wong hopes that the success of Moana – and the successful partnership between Walt Disney Animation Studio and the Oceanic Cultural Trust – will inspire others to tell their own stories. “I hope it can be an inspiration to learn your stories, to learn your history, to learn your language, to learn your culture. When you see a big company like Disney taking on this work and this responsibility, I hope that it is inspiring for our people.”
Moana will continue to be an inspiration to audiences worldwide – from those who see themselves in her independence to those who share cultural roots with her, the history of Pacific Wayfinders is a rich and storied one. One of the most magical things about Walt Disney Animation is their ability to tell stories that can introduce people to something new – whether it be a new concept, a new hope, or a new aspect of an old culture, there’s always room to learn more about the incredible world we live in, and the incredible people who inhabit it.
Moana and Moana 2 are a window into the past, present, and future of a culture and the identity that is born from it – and with the help of the Oceanic Culture Trust, the Walt Disney Company can ensure that it raises the voices of those whose lives are most touched by these films, and inspiring people from all walks of life to learn more about the people, cultures, and places that Moana embodies.
Check out this video from the Walt Disney Animation Studio about the production of Moana 2 and Disney’s collaboration with the Oceanic Cultural Trust:
