Moana

[jazzflower92]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kupua

Hey, I believe there is a reason why they chose a rooster as an animal sidekick, because in Hawaiian mythology there is a group of tricksters who are known for their heroics, called the kupua. One of those heroes include a rooster.

[ce1ticmoon]

According to Jared Bush, Chris Williams and Don Hall, are working on Moana as co-directors. Isn't it a little odd to have four directors on a single film? Does that mean that Disney doesn't have much faith in M&C anymore?

It's definitely a little odd to think that there are four directors on one film, but if Disney didn't have much faith in them, would they have given them this job in the first place? I mean, they seemingly have no problem pretty much doing away with much of the talent that helped build up the studio in the late 80s/90s. Plus, this is their fairy-tale musical follow-up to Frozen. They must be expecting big things from this, so I can't see them placing the project in the hands of people they don't have much faith in.

In my mind, most of these animated films by the big studios are rarely ever truly a single director's vision anyway. It's not that uncommon for Disney or Pixar production to get directors/co-directors added somewhere along the line, undoubtedly due to the tight deadlines that they have to deal with.... Zootopia was announced as Byron Howard's project, yet they added Rich Moore as director and Jared Bush as co-director sometime during production. So I don't really see it as too much different than that.

[unprincess]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kupua

Hey, I believe there is a reason why they chose a rooster as an animal sidekick, because in Hawaiian mythology there is a group of tricksters who are known for their heroics, called the kupua. One of those heroes include a rooster.

nice catch! I love shapeshifter myths...I wonder if the rooster will have any kind of magical ability...
There's still the pig... wonder if there any cultural significance to him. Hopefully other than the fact that pig is a popular dish for luaus in the islands.

[Sotiris]

I guess we're not the only ones who noticed this.

'Moana' Teaser: A Brief History of Disney Omitting Princesses From Princess Movie Trailers
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/moana-teas ... 59961.html

[DisneyFan09]

It's contradicting that Brave is mentioned in this context, considering how misleading the marketing for that film was. Perhaps not the same way as Disney's Princess movies (yes, I dared to use that term), but still contradicting, due to it being an intimate character-building story and not the grand epic that it was portrayed as in the marketing. Heck, the bear-change premise was hidden from people.

[Disney's Divinity]

According to Jared Bush, Chris Williams and Don Hall, are working on Moana as co-directors. Isn't it a little odd to have four directors on a single film? Does that mean that Disney doesn't have much faith in M&C anymore?

Well, I've always supposed this would be M&C's last film before they're resolutely booted out the door. I doubt they had much more creative control over this than they did TP&TF, most of the flaws having come from Lasseter's meddling (imo).

I guess we're not the only ones who noticed this.

'Moana' Teaser: A Brief History of Disney Omitting Princesses From Princess Movie Trailers
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/moana-teas ... 59961.html

I'm glad someone decided to bring it up outside these forums.

[Sotiris]

The first TV spot and the French poster have been released.

[kiseki]

Huh, is there a cultural reason for the title change? Like French Pol—oh, another trademark conflict.

It's nice how the US already has a decent poster this time around.

[Sotiris]

New details from Disney's presentation at Annecy. I'm worried about the coconut pirates.

The film tells the story of the teenage girl Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) – pronounced ‘Mo-Anna,’ which means ‘ocean’ in local dialect – living in the South Pacific some 2,000 years ago, at a time when her people, who once were great navigators, have stopped sailing for good. Determined to push past all boundaries, she sets out to find the demi-god Maui (Johnson). Together they will try to undo the curse that has kept their civilization landlocked for so long.

Sequences screened at Annecy, some of which were nearly complete and others at storyboard or early animation stages, included an opening that explains the myth behind Moana’s predicament and a scene where she uncovers the secret of her tribe. Another beautifully rendered sequence shows an infant Moana stepping into the sea for the first time, with the Disney team doing wonders to make the ocean a character in and of itself. (Water has always been one of the toughest things to animate, and its clear that Clements and Musker went, um, overboard to make the Pacific come alive.)

An action scene involving a Minion-like tribe of coconut pirates was described by the filmmakers as “Disney meets Fury Road,” while a preview of one of several musical numbers underscored a work that will most likely appeal to the Mouse House’s key 10-and-under demographic—although the fact that Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda is contributing to the score may broaden the movie’s horizons to wider audiences.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/a ... fic-903899

Set among the islands of Oceania in the South Pacific, “Moana” explores the mystery of why Polynesian explorers, who were once the world’s greatest navigators, suddenly stopped sailing for nearly 1,000 years. The film, whose title means “ocean” in various Polynesian languages, is named for its heroine (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho), the feisty 16-year-old daughter of aquaphobic Chief Tui, who forbids the people of Motunui from venturing beyond the island’s outer reef.

According to Clements, “The ocean is a character in the movie. It has a personality.” Water has been notoriously difficult for anyone to animate, of course, though it plays a key role in the most impressive of the clips the directors shared, in which young Moana has her first encounter with the sea. The scene depicts her as a young girl playing on the beach. As she approaches the water to collect seashells, it pulls back and away from her, allowing her to walk deeper and deeper without getting wet before extending what looks like a cross between a wave and a giant blue tongue out to make contact. It could be the contact scene from “The Abyss,” suggesting communion between this fearless young explorer and the ocean that will allow her to save her people.

The film’s plot, set up in the opening scene — a myth involving the trickster demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) related by Moana’s grandmother — involves the disappearance of an artifact called the Heart of Te Fiti, as well as Maui’s magic fishhook (believed to be the tool with which he created many of the Polynesian islands). Once she reaches her teens, Moana will discover the secret of her people’s seafaring past and set out on a quest that washes her ashore the same island where Maui has been stranded all these years.

One of the clips depicted the scene where Moana and Maui meet, cutting short just before the Rock sings a musical number written by Miranda. While Maui is a big, hulking character, he looks nothing like the wrestler who voices him, covered from fingers to neck in tribal tattoos, including one — whom the filmmakers call “Mini-Maui” — that is animated in 2D silhouette by Eric Goldberg, responsible for the genie in “Aladdin.”

Among the various obstacles Moana and Maui face (which also includes a journey through the Polynesian underworld) are the Kakamora, which Clements described as a race of “treasure-hunting, coconut-clad little pirates.” Moana’s only other companion on her trip is a stowaway rooster named Hei Hei, whom the Kakamora kidnap, setting up the chance for a spectacular rescue storyboarded by John Ripa.

Source: http://variety.com/2016/film/news/annec ... 201798053/

[disneyprincess11]

New Moana artwork by Neysa Bové.


Source: https://twitter.com/TylerKupferer/statu ... 0229224448

Well, we know what these things are now. And yikes, I'm cringing. Disney is above of this...most of the time.

[DisneyFan09]

At least the French poster was superior to the former one. And disappointingly enough the tv spot lacked new footage and was just a rehash of the teaser.

And wasn't the footage of infant Moana previously shown last year at the Disney D23 Expo?

[ce1ticmoon]

The French posters is nice too. They've been doing very well with the posters so far.

And seriously, is every "princess" movie going to have the characters as infants from now on? Every single one since PATF, including Pixar's Brave, have had the characters as infants. I mean, I guess it has generally worked in the context of the story for all of the films, but the decision just seems so very obviously motivated by merchandising.

[Sotiris]

Well, we know what these things are now. And yikes, I'm cringing.

Apparently, they are based on the Kakamora creatures.

[unprincess]

^they will be the film's version of Frozen's trolls. Yeay.

[Sotiris]

More info from Annecy.

Moana tells the search for identity of a young Polynesian captivated by the ocean. Three thousand years ago, her ancestors were a people of navigators, but that tradition was lost when Maui, a selfish demigod, stole the "heart" of the island of Te'Fiti. The sea then became synonymous with all the dangers, and today young Moana is prohibited from approaching it.

Source: http://www.lepoint.fr/pop-culture/cinem ... 8_2923.php

The original title, Moana, means "ocean". It had to be changed for copyright reasons in France and therefore it's called Vaiana, which means "water" in Tahitian.

In the opening scene, we are told that there is an island-mother and legend has it to be capable of generating life. Unfortunately, Maui the demigod with a magical giant hook and ability to take the shape of animals, stole the "heart" of the island. However, he had to face a great threat, a creature of fire and stone, and lost the artifact.

Young Vaiana will refuse to listen to the island chief that prevents people from traveling and she'll go to sea in search of Maui and the green stone that's supposed to restore the balance of the region. Vaiana encounters Maui on an island that's home to ancestral boats.

Source: http://www.cloneweb.net/festivals/preview-vaiana/

The first clip previewed was the opening scene of the movie. After the appearance of the traditional Disney logo with Maori background music, a narrator explains the history of the world, presented in a graphic animation style similar to the one in the trailer. We later see Maui (in regular, CG animation this time) turning into a bird, a reptile and an insect before finally stealing the "heart" of the island and fleeing. While fighting a fire demon, he lets the "heart" sink to the bottom of the ocean and darkness engulfs the surrounding land. On this sad image, the narrator is revealed - an old lady telling this story to children.

The second extract showed Moana's grandmother brings her to a cave when she was a child. By tapping on a drum, Moana receives a vision of the past where happy navigators are singing while arriving on the island.

In the third clip, Moana tries to rescue Hei Hei from the Kakamora tribe. There's an epic scene between two boats where our friend is trying to climb one of his opponents before attacking them.

In the last clip, we see Moana as a child playing in the sand. The she picks up a seashell and the water parts, creating a giant wave. Then we transition to Moana as an adult remembering her childhood.

Before leaving, the two directors show us animation tests and artworks of some characters: Hei Hei, the stupid the rooster, the tattooed, mini version of Maui who plays the role of Maui's conscience like Jiminy Cricket, and the Kakamora, a tribe of short, ball-shaped creatures.

Source: http://disney-planet.fr/compte-rendu-de ... m-dannecy/

The first scene we saw is just 5 minutes long, including the Disney and WDAS opening logos. The film starts with a female voice. It recounts the birth of the goddess Te Fiti that becomes an island whose shape represents a woman, the goddess. Te Fiti gives rise to other islands and to life through its heart. But someone covets the power of the heart (a small, turquoise, shell-shaped stone), the God of the winds and waters, Maui. Maui arrives on the island by transforming into an eagle before landing and turning into a lizard and then an insect to enter a cave where he is unveiled for the first time in his human form, with his hook in hand. He then removes the heart from its place and shadows begin to invade the island. It shifts into an eagle again and flees. But another creature covets the heart as well; the lava creature. Once at sea, while Maui and the creature face off, the darkness engulfs everything and the narrator explains that the heart and the Maui's hook disappeared into the ocean. A transition is made ​​on a canvas (reminiscent of the opening of The Jungle Book 2) where we discover that the narrator is Moan's grandmother telling the the story to several children, including Moana. She said that according to legend, the heart must be returned to Te Fiti otherwise the world will be engulfed in darkness. Moana is fascinated.

In the second clip Tui, the island chief and Moana's father, does not want his daughter venturing out into the sea, but her grandmother has other plans for her. She told her there's a secret about her ancestry and brings her to a cave. She tells her to get in and tap the drum to find the truth. Moana discovers a hidden boat and after beating the drum she has a vision, a flashback of her ancestors at sea discovering the islands. This is actually the scene seen in the teaser.

Source: http://disneycentralplaza.englishboard. ... 16#2977545

In one of the clips, Moana meets Maui. They are on the island and she finds Maui signing autographs and being very self-centered. The banter between them is very cute. She is holding the "heart" of Te Fiti but she can't be the one to put it back in its place; it has to be Maui. So, she tries to convince him and he eventually accepts.

Source: http://disneyvideo.altervista.org/forum ... ntry756176

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm glad Maui transforms. At least that way we won't have to look at his hideous design in every scene he's in.

Of course they were going to have something like the coconut warriors. Since every Disney movie is forced to be a travel movie now, they have to think of cute, stupid things for the protagonist to stumble upon on their "trip" from A to B in order to fill the airtime.

[DisneyFan09]

Okay, so this film will have the graphic animation open the movie. I wonder if it will be same transitions from graphic world to "real world" as with films as Pocahontas, Hercules, Mulan and Brother Bear. I wonder if it's going to be done in the Disney vain and not just as in a way that screams Kung Fu Panda.

But I'm lukewarm to the idea of Maui's graphic mini-version of himself being present and characterized through the whole movie. As he wasn't grating enough in the trailer.

I wonder if Moana will be as comedic and have the same fun tone that identifies John Musker and Ron Clements' works. Their movies are known for being light comedies, but for some reason I have the notion that Moana will be more epic and serious. And the humor feeling out of place with the tone.

[Sotiris]

Lithograph given at Annecy.


Source: https://twitter.com/cinecoulisses/statu ... 5145250816

[DisneyEra]

I'm glad Maui transforms. At least that way we won't have to look at his hideous design in every scene he's in.

Of course they were going to have something like the coconut warriors. Since every Disney movie is forced to be a travel movie now, they have to think of cute, stupid things for the protagonist to stumble upon on their "trip" from A to B in order to fill the airtime.

I'd rather watch this then watch Pixar mimic 2000s DreamWorks with their cash-grab sequels Finding Nemo 2.0, Cars 3 & Toy Story 4.

[Disney's Divinity]

I'd rather watch this then watch Pixar mimic 2000s DreamWorks with their cash-grab sequels Finding Nemo 2.0, Cars 3 & Toy Story 4.

Don't worry, Frozen 2 and 3; WIR 2 and 3; Zootopia 2 and 3; and Big Hero 6-2 and 6-3 are on their way. When I criticize Disney, I'm also criticizing Pixar because Disney is Pixar and vice versa. The only difference between them at this point is the spelling on the letterhead. All Disney films are buddy roadtrips (occasionally with princess icing) often without any basis in any fairytale or lit. whatever, while Pixar has veered into princess films, sequels out the wazoo, and musicals. They are become one.