Changing Tides in Moana

By: Alexandra Geisser

Moana, Disney’s newest movie release, has received praise and glory for the sticking to the culture of the indigenous people it’s based from, the body types and the songs. In fact, Sandie Angulo Chen from Common Sense Media says it outdoes Frozen and Tangled and truly captures the spirit of Disney.

The basic plot of Moana is as follows: Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is an island girl who is next in line to be the leader of her village Motunui. She’s always had a thirst for adventure and exploring the ocean, having had a dream–like experience with the ocean as a child which further fueled her passion. She has wanted to go exploring beyond the reef of her home island since she was a kid and her grandmother always helped keep that fire alive despite her father’s protests and multiple-interferences. Due to a series of events, Moana sets out onto the sea to restore the mother island, Te Fiti. She searches for Maui (Dwayne Johnson), the famous demigod, and the two go on an epic series of quests on the way to saving Te Fiti with each of them learning new things from the other.

The movie executes the plot brilliantly, if a bit oddly at some points, and it all comes together perfectly in the climax and end. The songs were gorgeous, being produced by talented artists, such as Mark Mancina, Lin-Manuel Miranda and many others. However, the one thing that stuck out to me in Moana was the relationship Moana Wailiki had with her mother Sina (Nicole Scherzinger), father Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison) and her grandmother Gamma Tala (Rachel House). Tell me, does this sound situation sound familiar?

A child, generally in a small family or three, wants to do “a thing.” Their parents heavily disagree with this “thing” and force their opinions onto their child in a typical less-than-healthy manner (Chicken Little, anyone?). The angry child lashes out and the parents (usually the father) retaliate by destroying the one thing the child cherishes above all else. Hurt at the betrayal of their guardians, the child runs away on a mystical adventure and comes back more mature and apologizes to the parents. Everything is forgiven and that is the end.

Here is where things become a-typical with Moana. The film goes against that traditional subplot, having a loving mother and father who never yell or demean what she loves unless emotions are high and tensed (such as the end of the first act a few minutes before Moana runs away). Her family, while not supportive of what she wants to do, inspire her and are kind and loving. They gently prod her away from a calling they think might hurt her in similar ways that it hurt them.

When the village sings the song “Where We Are” the father sings, “In time, you’ll learn just as I did.” We later find out that Moana’s father had been much like her when he was younger and had attempted the exact thing that Moana had dreamed of only it ended in misery, regret and guilt. He didn’t want Moana to suffer like he did so he cautiously tried to steer her away from the path he took – keeping her from the water, not letting her go on boats or learn how to man one and repeatedly saying that Moutuni is “all they need.” Still though, his gentle prodding didn’t seem to do the trick. Thankfully, the family of three (four if you are counting Gramma Tala) is very happy and loving, building off each other and trying to dissuade Moana in a healthy way. They’re obviously very close, as is the whole island, and they care for each other dearly.

Moana’s family always stuck out to me in the movie, as her parents could have treated Moana and her passion horribly. Maui’s (Dwayne Johnson) family wasn’t exactly picture perfect––it made for an amazingly sad tattoo though. Moana’s family could have done so many things differently like belittling her and her passions, hurting her, abandoning her or abuse her in so many other saddening ways. Instead, they flourished off each other and everything around them followed suit.

Moana’s family was easily one of the best familial relationships Disney’s ever shown. One of the few families that rivals this one in realism was Lilo and Nani’s relationship in Lilo and Stitch, which was released on June 16, 2002 (just about fourteen years before Moana’s debut) and Hiro, Tadashi and their Aunt Cass in Big Hero 6, which premiered in November of  2014. The relationships portrayed in these movies were beyond phenomenal, possibly better than the movies in themselves. There is something about a realistic, close family that is appealing to people of all ages.

The thing that struck me the most about this family was when my mom started crying just as Moana was collecting supplies to leave the island. Moana’s mother walks in on her and even helps her pack food. My mother said she’d started crying because you have to let your kids go at some point and this was the moment where Moana needed to be set loose.

SPOILER: As Moana leaves her home, she barely holds back tears as her Grandmother passes away and her spirit joins the ocean. She sails past the reef and into the open ocean where her people haven’t wandered in a millenia. Moana does what was prophesied––she finds Maui, helps him retrieve his lost fish hook and returns the heart jewel back to Te Fiti. Then, she alone sails back to Motunui and teaches her people to become voyagers again and they set out.

Moana and her family’s reunion was nothing but sweet and beautiful––a short moment that conveyed so many wild emotions and forgiveness ran thick through the scene. There was forgiveness for the hurt and unsupportive natures of Moana’s childhood. There was love for their daughter being safe and home. There was excitement at the future of their village and the adventures Moana would lead. All of those emotions were found at the ending of the film, leading the movie to have a happy, complete and yet opened ended finale of how Moana would live the rest of her life. What adventures would she go on from there? How often would she encounter Maui? Just what kind of name would Moana make for herself in history? Whatever she’d become, we know her family will be behind her every step of the way.