The Making Of Disney's Moana And 10 Amazing Behind-The-Scene Facts

Disney's Moana has become a family favorite film since it first hit the theaters in November 2016. The movie follows Moana, the daughter of a Polynesian village chief, who is selected by the ocean to reunite a mysterious relic with the goddess Te Fiti. When a blight attacks her island, Moana meets Maui, a fabled demigod, in the hopes of returning the relic to Te Fiti. They go on an action-packed journey across the open ocean, confronting monstrous beasts. Along the way, Moana completes her ancestors' old quest and discovers one thing she has always desired: her own identity.
By now you’ve most likely seen and been influenced by this movie. You’ve probably listened to and sung along to “How Far I’ll Go” many times, and have fallen in love with the cuteness of Pua and Heihei. So, if you enjoy this film as much as we do, keep reading because we have some amusing facts that you may not be aware of.

#1 A group of local specialists help the filmmakers to make sure that Moana was historically and culturally accurate.

Source: Disney

#2 It's not Moana, the ocean is the main character in the film

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#3 Maui is based on real Demi-God Maui in Polynesian mythology

Source: Disney

#4 Miranda was actually signed with Disney to write music for Moana even before the idea for Hamilton popped into his head!

Source: Disney

#5 Heihei almost didn’t appear because filmmakers worried the rooster wasn’t unique enough

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#6 For the film, astronomers researched what the Pacific island night skies would have looked like 2 000 years ago

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#7 Early designs gave Maui a bald head, but consultants from Tahiti said Pacific legends commonly depicted the demigod with hair.

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#8 Maui’s living tattoos immortalize his exploits, with Mini Maui at the center

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#9 Drawing from traditional Polynesian mythology, many of the character's names and stories are based on actual ancient Polynesian tales.

Source: Disney

#10 Moana movie directors took trips around the South Pacific to get inspired

Source: Disney