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“Moana 2” set a record box office. Disney’s animated sequel is a huge win for the House of Mouse, but it’s also a great representation of Oceanian culture.
For Pacific Islanders like me, this movie is more than just a fairy tale. An opportunity for our lesser-known cultural traditions and languages to be celebrated on the world stage, courtesy of one of the world’s largest animation studios.
The film was co-written and directed by two Samoan filmmakers, Dana Ledoux Miller and David Derrick Jr. Their Islander heritage clearly influenced the film, creating a purposefully immersive film culture experience.
I spoke with Miller a few days after Moana 2 was released in theaters. This film was very humbling for her. She said the five-day box office total was “unreal.”
This image released by Disney shows Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, holding Simea, voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, in a scene from Moana 2. (AP via Disney)
“Moana 2” highlights several Polynesian traditions, including the Samoan warrior cry “faum” or “cheehu,” which later evolved into expressions of excitement and happiness.
One of the most beautiful scenes in the film is the Samoan Saofai ceremony, also known as the Ava Ceremony. In this scene, Moana is given a title by everyone in the village, which Miller says was necessary for the character’s storyline.
“For Moana’s story, it made sense for her to take on this new title and new responsibilities. That’s why we included it,” Miller told me.
The director explained that the ceremony speaks to Pacific Island audiences.
“I have a lot of big, strong, tough cousins who called me and said they cried because they had never seen that scene before,” she revealed.
Miller said the ceremony has been well-received not only by the Polynesian community but by everyone who has seen the film. “And it opens the conversation in a new way.”
This image released by Disney shows Maui (left), voiced by Dwayne Johnson, and Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, in a scene from Moana 2. (AP via Disney)
Critics gave Moana 2 mixed reviews. Some took issue with the original songs and the seeming lack of the conflict and emotional intimacy that the first film appealed to audiences.
Except the movie spoke to them, at least according to Rotten Tomatoes. It received a rating of 63% from critics and nearly 90% from viewers.
Miller doesn’t know exactly where the disconnect between the two lies, nor is it her top priority.
“I really wanted this movie to resonate with people more than anything, and I’m glad that it’s happening and that people are excited and that they feel seen and felt seen. It’s such an honor to be a part of this movie, seeing that some people are going to see it,”’ she told me.
The sequel introduced several new characters, with some critics calling it “archetypes”. But Miller explained that they were carefully crafted by Disney’s creative team. They all play a role in telling the history of the peoples of the Pacific.
“I really liked the idea of having an engineer character (Loto, played by Rose Matafeo). There was so much engineering and science involved that I don’t think people understood,” she explained. did.
“We have a farmer (David Fehn’s Kele) who brought plants with him, and we know it’s because of the plants in the canoes, who brought them across the islands. You can see plants and learn how our ancestors grew. Moni (Hualalai Chan) is a representative example of this.”Even before we spoke written languages, we passed down our history from generation to generation through oral communication. The fact that he was a storyteller was important to us. ”
The writer and director said she is excited that people are flocking to theaters to see her film.
“By expanding our understanding of the world of Moana, we are expanding our audience’s understanding of what it means to be from the Pacific,” she said.
The director said the film reflects the diversity of the entire Pacific Ocean and that it was “very important” to show that “the ocean is more than just Polynesia.”
“We are not a monolith. We include many people.”
Sarah Magaotega is a news producer at KTLA 5 in Los Angeles.
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