| Moana | |
|---|---|
| Moana character | |
 Moana as she appears in Disney's Moana. | |
| First Episode Appearance | Moana (2016) |
| Created by | Ron Clements John Musker |
| Character played by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Moana Waialiki |
| Title | Chieftess of Motunui |
| Affiliation | Disney Princesses |
| Family | Chief Tui (father) Sina (mother) Tala (grandmother) |
| Nationality | Polynesian |
Moana Waialiki of Motunui is the titular character and main protagonist of Disney's 56th animated feature Moana (2016). Created by directors Ron Clements and John Musker, Moana is originally voiced by the actress Auliʻi Cravalho. Moana will appear in the Disney+ sequel series Moana: The Series, which is set to premiere in 2023.[1]
Moana is the twelfth Disney Princess and the first of Polynesian descent. She is also the second Disney Princess to be single after Merida, as well as the first and so far, the only member added to the line-up without a coronation.
Development[]
Conception and writing[]
The creative team decided to create for Moana a realistic model with which girls could identify themselves,[2] strong enough to be credible in activities like swimming, climbing a tree and jumping off a cliff.[3] To make the hair more realistic and expressive, a new program, Quicksilver, was created.[4] When Moana's voice actress was chosen, the appearance and personality of the protagonist had already been completed, so the shared resemblance between Auliʻi Cravalho and the character turned out to be a simple coincidence. Furthermore, during the animation process, the Disney animators were able to integrate some of Cravalho's mannerisms into Moana's behavior.[5]
Voice[]
The directors auditioned hundreds of young women from the Pacific Islands. In October 2015, Auliʻi Cravalho was officially chosen as Moana's voice actress. Auliʻi was discovered during a charity event, without knowing that the agent who had attended those auditions was the same for Moana.[6] Agent Rachel Sutton confirmed that Auliʻi was the last girl to be seen on the last day of casting.[7] Producer Osnat Shurer said: "We were looking for someone who could embody the character, with all the strength and commitment, humor, heart and compassion. When we met Auliʻi, she was just bringing Moana to life."[8] Auliʻi described Moana as a strong girl with a big temperament, determined and courageous,[9] deeply fascinated by the ocean and eager to explore it,[10] calling her a model for everyone, not just for girls.[11] Auliʻi reprised the role in 2017, dubbing the character again in the special Hawaiian-language dubbing of the movie.[12][13]
Personality and design[]
Moana is an adventurous and stubborn girl who loves the ocean and legends. She takes her role as the new leader of Motunui very seriously, feeling at the same time her duty to honor the legacy that her skilled navigators left to her people. Indeed, despite being impulsive, she is also wise because she recognizes the importance of " knowing her mountain ", that is, the peoples and experiences that preceded her, to know herself.[14]
International versions[]
Moana is voiced by Hawaiian singer Auliʻi Cravalho in the English and Hawaiian versions
When the movie had its first theatrical release worldwide, it numbered 45 versions overall, including a special Tahitian-language dubbing created specifically for the movie.[15] In June 2017, a Māori-language version of the movie, featuring four voice-actors from the original English cast, was announced.[16] Three weeks later, New Zealander Jaedyn Randell was introduced as Moana's voice. The movie was released in September 2017.[17] In the same year, Shruti Rane (Hindi) reprised her role in the Bengali-language version of the movie. In November 2017, a Hawaiian-language dubbing was announced to be under way, with Auliʻi Cravalho reprising her role as Moana.[12] The movie premiered on June 10, 2018.[13]
In many European countries, Moana's name was changed to Vaiana due to a trademark conflict. Dubbings released in countries within as well as without Europe had to undergo a partial redub of all scenes where Moana's name was pronounced, changing it to Vaiana: that was the case of Auliʻi Cravalho in the English versions and of Cerise Calixte in the French ones released on the continent.[18][19][20] The film was released in those countries to bear the alternative name in the title.[21]
| Moana's dubbers worldwide[22] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Speaking | Singing | Name |
| Arabic | إلهام صبري (Ilham Sabry) | كارمن عصام سليمان (Carmen Essam Suleiman) | موانا (Moana) |
| Bengali | N/A | श्रुति राणे (Shruti Rane) | মোয়ানা (Moana) |
| Bulgarian | Михаела Маринова (Mihaela Marinova) | Ваяна (Vaiana) | |
| Cantonese | 蘇麗珊 (So Lai Shan) | 莫娜 (Moana) | |
| Catalan | Cristal Barreyro | Ana Fernández Pellicer | Vaiana |
| Croatian | Mia Negovetić | Vaiana | |
| Czech | Michaela Tomešová | Vaiana | |
| Danish | Clara Rugaard | Vaiana | |
| Dutch | Vajèn van den Bosch | Vaiana | |
| English | Auliʻi Cravalho | Moana Vaiana (Continental Europe) | |
| Estonian | Emma Tross | Kelly Tulvik | Vaiana |
| Finnish | Yasmine Yamajako | Vaiana | |
| Flemish | Laura Tesoro | Vaiana | |
| French (Canada) | Cerise Calixte | Moana | |
| French (Europe) | Vaiana | ||
| German | Lina Larissa Strahl | Debby van Dooren | Vaiana |
| Greek | Μαρίνα Σάττι (Marína Sátti) | Βαϊάνα (Vaiana) | |
| Hawaiian | Auliʻi Cravalho | Moana | |
| Hebrew | משי קלינשטיין (Meshi Kleinstein) | מואנה (Moana) | |
| Hindi | मुस्कान जाफरी (Muskkaan Jafri) | श्रुति राणे (Shruti Rane) | मोआना (Moana) |
| Hungarian | Faluvégi Fanni | Vaiana | |
| Icelandic | Agla Bríet Einarsdóttir | Vaiana | |
| Indonesian | Miranti Anna Juantara | Moana | |
| Italian | Emanuela Ionica | Chiara Grispo | Vaiana |
| Japanese | 屋比久知奈 (Tomona Yabiku) | モアナ (Moana) | |
| Kazakh | Назерке Серікболова (Nazerke Serikbolova) | Моана (Moana) | |
| Korean | 김수연 (Kim Su-yeon) | 김소향 (Kim So-Hyang) | 모아나 (Moana) |
| Latvian | Vanda Siliņa | Vaiana | |
| Lithuanian | Dorotėja Kravčenkaitė | Vaiana | |
| Malay | Mae Elliessa | Moana | |
| Mandarin Chinese (China) | 刘美麟 (Liú Měi-Lín) | 莫娜 (Moana) | |
| Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan) | 曾詩淳 (Céng Shī-Chún) | 吳以悠 (Wú Yǐ-Yōu) | 莫娜 (Moana) |
| Māori | Jaedyn Randell | Moana | |
| Norwegian | Nora Gjestvang | Vaiana | |
| Polish | Weronika Bochat | Vaiana | |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Any Gabrielly | Moana | |
| Portuguese (Europe) | Luz Fonseca | Sara Madeira | Vaiana |
| Romanian | Ana Bianca Popescu | Vaiana | |
| Russian | Зинаида Куприянович (Zinaida Kupriyanovich) | Моана (Moana) | |
| Serbian | Ивона Рамбосек (Ivona Rambosek) | Вајана (Vaiana) | |
| Slovak | Monika Potokárová | Vaiana | |
| Slovene | Katja Ajster | Vaiana | |
| Spanish (Europe) | Cristal Barreyro | María Parrado | Vaiana |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Sara Paula Gómez Arias | Moana | |
| Swedish | Wiktoria Johansson | Vaiana | |
| Tahitian | Sabrina Laughlin | Moana | |
| Tamil | M. Haripriya | மோனா (Moana) | |
| Thai | ไมร่า มณีภัสสร มอลลอย (Myra Molloy) | โมอาน่า (Moana) | |
| Turkish | Ezgi Erol | Moana | |
| Ukrainian | Маргарита Мелешко (Margarita Meleshko) | Ваяна (Vaiana) | |
| Vietnamese | Trần Minh Như | Moana | |
Appearances[]
Moana[]
In other media[]
A "meta" version of the character appears with other Disney princesses in the Wreck-It Ralph sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet. When some of the princesses describe to Vanellope von Schweetz how they stare at "important water" to gain inspiration for their songs, Moana volunteers that she stares at the ocean. Later, when Ralph is falling from a tower and needs saving by the princesses, Moana causes water from a fountain to spiral upwards so that Elsa from Frozen can freeze it into a slide to slow Ralph's fall.
In December 2020, it was announced that Moana would have a self-titled spin-off TV series debuting on Disney+ in 2023.[23]
Park appearances[]
Moana is a meetable character at most Disney Parks and is located in Adventureland. She is occasionally joined by Maui.[24]
Reception[]
The Verge stated that Moana is a fully-rounded character with a believable, while still idealized body. They also praised her resourcefulness and the fact she does not end up partnered at the end of the film.[25] IGN conveyed that she is a wonderful role model for her perseverance and courage.[26] Victoria McNally states that she is the most revolutionary Disney Princess by not having a love interest, being a good leader, and embracing her culture.[27] The New York Times called Moana an "inspiring heroine, a smart, brave and decent young woman whose individual aspirations align perfectly with a larger, world-saving mission".[28]
References[]
- ↑ Holloway, Daniel (December 11, 2020). "'Moana,' 'Cars,' 'Princess and the Frog' Spinoff Series Set for Disney Plus". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Flaherty, Keely. "Moana Is A Disney Princess With A More "Realistic" Body Shape". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Nast, Condé. "How Pacific Islanders Helped Disney's Moana Find Its Way". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Desowitz, Bill (2016-11-22). "'Moana': How Disney Innovated Water and Hair for a Greater Hand-Drawn Aesthetic". IndieWire. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "14 Things to Know About Disney's 'Moana' Before You See It". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "The 15-year-old actress in Disney's next animated movie never had to officially audition for the role". Business Insider France. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ (in en) Casting Moana - Introducing Auli‘i Cravalho, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pylCYlsjEK0, retrieved 2019-08-29
- ↑ "5 Things You Should Know About Disney's Moana Starring Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson". www.honolulumagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ (in en) Auli'i Cravalho on Moana "She's inspiring to me", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTc8cMN0zDI, retrieved 2019-08-29
- ↑ (in en) Meet Moana a True Disney Princess | IMDb EXCLUSIVE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yiiLSvuMPk, retrieved 2019-08-29
- ↑ ""Moana" Star Auli'i Cravalho is Not Your Average Disney Princess". www.honolulumagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Instagram post by Auli'i • Nov 2, 2017 at 7:00pm UTC". Instagram. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Disney's Moana to make World Premiere in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at Ko Olina's World Oceans Day, June 10" (in en-US). Ko Olina. May 1, 2018. http://koolina.com/press/disneys-moana-make-world-premiere-%CA%BBolelo-hawai%CA%BBi-ko-olinas-world-oceans-day-june-10/.
- ↑ "Moana Directors Ron Clements and John Musker". ComingSoon.net. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "'Moana' to be First Disney Film Translated Into Tahitian Language" (in en-US). EW.com. 2016-10-25. http://ew.com/article/2016/10/25/moana-tahitian-language-translation/.
- ↑ Speak Māori (2017-06-08), Te Reo Māori Moana Casting, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b8CP0LNM0g&t=20s, retrieved 2017-07-04
- ↑ disney portuguêsfrançais (2017-07-03), Meet the Maori Voices of Moana and Maui, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl8xhwuR3lA, retrieved 2017-07-04
- ↑ "VAIANA - trailer - Disney". YouTube. 19 September 2016.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Moana / Canadian French cast". CHARGUIGOU . Retrieved 2020-05-25.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Moana / French cast". CHARGUIGOU . Retrieved 2020-05-25.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "La princesa Moana en España se llamará Vaiana (y otros problemas de branding)" [Princess Moana in Spain will be called Vaiana (and other branding problems)] . Verne (El País). October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Moana/Vaiana". Charguigou. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Holloway, Daniel (December 10, 2020). "'Moana,' 'Cars,' 'Princess and the Frog' Spinoff Series Set for Disney Plus". Variety. https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/moana-the-series-set-for-2023-on-disney-plus-1234851261/.
- ↑ https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/entertainment/character-meet-moana/#
- ↑ Robinson, Tasha (26 November 2016). "Moana review: after 80 years of experiments, Disney has made the perfect Disney movie". The Verge. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Goldman, Eric (14 November 2016). "Moana Review". IGN. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ McNally, Victoria (21 November 2016). "7 ways 'Moana' is the most revolutionary Disney Princess yet". Revelist. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Scott, A. O. (November 22, 2016). "Review: 'Moana,' Brave Princess on a Voyage With a Chicken (Published 2016)". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
{{cite web}}:
External links[]
| Disney Princess | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lineup | Snow White • Cinderella • Aurora • Ariel • Belle • Jasmine • Pocahontas • Mulan • Tiana • Rapunzel • Merida • Moana • Raya | |
| Films | Theatrical animated |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Cinderella (1950) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • Pocahontas (1995) • Mulan (1998) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Tangled (2010) • Brave (2012) • Moana (2016) • Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) • Moana 2 (2024) |
| Direct-to-video | The Return of Jafar (1994) • Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) • Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) • Belle's Magical World (1998) • Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) • Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999) • The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) • Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) • Mulan II (2004) • Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007) • Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007) • The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008) | |
| Shorts | Tangled Ever After (2012) • The Legend of Mor'du (2012) | |
| Live-action adaptations |
Maleficent (2014) • Cinderella (2015) • Beauty and the Beast (2017) • Aladdin (2019) • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) • Mulan (2020) • The Little Mermaid (2023) • Snow White (2025) • Moana (2026) | |
| Television | The Little Mermaid (1992–1994) • Aladdin (1994–1995) • Sing Me a Story with Belle (1995–1997) • Tangled: Before Ever After (2017) • Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2017–2020) • The Little Mermaid Live! (2019) • Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) • Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest (2023) • Ariel (2024–present) | |
| Albums | Disney's Princess Favorites • Disney Princess: The Ultimate Song Collection • Disney Princess Tea Party • Ultimate Disney Princess • Princess Disneymania | |
| Video games | Enchanted Journey • Magical Jewels • Enchanting Storybooks • My Fairytale Adventure | |
| Other media | "If You Can Dream" • Mickey's Pirate and Princess Party • Whisker Haven • Lego Disney | |
| Related | Princes | The Beast • Aladdin • Flynn Rider |
| Media | House of Mouse • Kingdom Hearts • Once Upon a Time • Disney Magic Kingdoms • Sofia the First • Frozen • Elena of Avalor (Elena and the Secret of Avalor) • Descendants • Enchanted • Disenchanted • Ralph Breaks the Internet • Kilala Princess • Once Upon a Studio | |
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