The production of the film, which holds the distinction of being the first Disney animated feature to release an Indigenous-language version with its English counterpart, includes contributions from a Tongan academic expert.
Oregon State University/College of Liberal Arts
Patricia Fifita, a Tongan assistant professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at Oregon State University, played an important role as a cultural consultant for the “Moana 2” Disney movie.
The film, first released last month, has achieved a notable box office gross of $608.6 million globally, of which $308.6 million was generated in the United States and Canada.
Walt Disney Animation Studios produced the animated musical adventure film for Walt Disney Pictures.
Moana 2 continues the enchanting journey of the original 2016 film. In this sequel, Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) sets out from her home island once again to reconnect with the ocean’s lost people.
Dwayne Johnson, renowned for his career as a US professional wrestler, lent his voice to the character of Maui, Moana’s companion, in the animated film.
While many Pacific island legends depicted Maui as one of their ancestral demigods, Professor Fifita said that in Tongan myths, Maui lived in the village of Koloa, located in Tonga’s Vava’u islands.
Moana is Tongan for “deep sea” or ocean.
Fifita was asked during an interview with Oregon’s OPB News to discuss her most important contribution and sharing with the movie producers.
The Professor said: “I did emphasize some specific cultural aesthetics that were representative of Tonga, around the design and shape of the vakas, the long-distance seafaring canoes”.
Professor Fifita said seeing the diversity of vakas showcased in the movie was important.
“You can really see that there was a beautiful display of vakas which is in Tongan, seafaring canoes.
“And you can see distinctly there is a canoe that looks similar to the traditional canoes that come from the Solomon Islands and from Fiji.
“And so, it’s really wonderful that the film highlights that diversity not only in the imagery but also in the message of the film”.
Moana 2 (PG) is now playing at NZ cinemas.
The film’s global premiere was accompanied by “Moana 2 Reo Māori,” a special release in theatres in New Zealand featuring voiceovers in the Indigenous Polynesian language.
The title translates to “Moana 2 Māori language.” The language is sometimes referred to as just “te reo” or “reo Māori.”
“Moana 2 Reo Māori” becomes the first Disney animated feature to premiere as an Indigenous language directly alongside its English-language counterpart.
The movie broke several records, including the highest global opening weekend for an animated film, the highest opening for a Walt Disney Animation film on Thanksgiving, and the highest five-day gross for an animated film.
