Mayra Lauriti ISFD N° 30 “Leonardo Da Vinci” LaWE III

How far will Moana go?

“Moana” is one of the most recent movies from Disney. Released in 2016, it was
directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The movie tells the story of a Polynesian
girl called Moana who wants to save her island, “Motunui”, from the darkness. Moana
has to take important decisions to accomplish her goal, leading her through a path of
dangerous adventures.
Even though most movies from Disney have a princess as a protagonist, we may
ask ourselves, is Moana actually a Disney princess or is she willing to break with the
stereotypical “fragile damsel in distress”? Moana is here to end with the old typical
Disney starring roles of women.
As far as noticed by the audience of the movie, “at 16 years old, Moana of
Motunui has a slender yet muscular build that sets her apart from previous Disney
princesses and heroines”; however, is it the appearance of this young woman the only
thing that matters? Are her dark skin and dark curly-beach hair the only important
features?
Moana has proven herself she is not one to mess up with. She is brave and
confronts everyone and everything that faces her, such as crossing the sea by herself.
She claims that she is not a princess but the “daughter of the chief”, which requires not
only courage but also wisdom. Knowing her people, the island, and its needs give her
the power to become a great leader. Leaving aside the “flower crown” she wears, which
is also a symbol of affection, she makes it evident that the crown is not essential to be a
powerful woman.
In addition to braveness, Moana shows no dependence from a “prince charming”
to help her save Montunui. It is a fact that she needs some “guidance” while learning
how to navigate and finding the course of her goal; still, she shows during the movie
that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. For instance, when she asks Maui to teach
her how to sail. However, Moana makes great progress by herself, and we can see her
development throughout the movie.
When Moana first encounters with Maui, she tells him “I am Moana of Motunui,
you will board my boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te Fiti”. Later, when
Maui abandons Moana and she is lost in the middle of the sea all alone, her
grandmother, who has just passed away, visits her as a ghost. Her grandmother helps
her find her strength, and almost by the end of the movie Moana says “I am Moana of
Motunui, aboard my boat, I will sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te Fiti”.
Taking into account these two different statements made by Moana, we can see how she
has changed her mind and understood she only had to believe in herself to accomplish
whatever she desired.
To some extent, we can see that Disney is starting to change the type of
princesses chosen to play the starring role in their movies. It is not a coincidence that
Mayra Lauriti ISFD N° 30 “Leonardo Da Vinci” LaWE III

they have chosen a strong, dark-skinned girl to start with. The Disney old-school
stereotypes are commencing to disappear, starting with the new “not so princess”
Moana.