Live-Action 'Moana' Celebrates Pacific Islander Stories and Heritage

Disney once again worked with Pacific Islander consultants from the Cultural Trust to ensure that portrayals of Polynesian cultures in the film were thoughtful and accurate. We spoke with Dr. Grant Muāgututiʻa (Lead Consultant, Cultural Trust) and Tiana Nonosina Liufau (Choreographer, Associate Producer, Cultural Trust) as well as cast members Frankie Adams (“Sina”), Rena Owen (“Gramma Tala”) and John Tui (“Chief Tui”), about how they honored their cultures and what they hope audiences will take away from the film.

TAAF: How did you honor the distinct movement traditions of cultures like Samoa, Tahiti and Tokelau while creating a cohesive visual language for the film?

Dr. Grant Muāgututiʻa: I think for me as a linguist, when we look at the languages, we all share a common ancestry. So looking at those shared commonalities between the languages and between the movements and the cultures, and really focusing on what we have in common as opposed to what's different while still trying to weave in some of the nuances within our cultures, I think that was the approach that we tried to take.

Tiana Nonosina Liufau: Taking the fibers of what all of the Pacific has to offer—maybe some are different, maybe some are similar, and maybe we have to create something new. But what Dr. Grant did an amazing job at is sometimes we revert to a word that's proto-Polynesian that exists all throughout Polynesia or throughout the majority of it. I try to do the same with the movement so we have this continuity of this Motonui language.

TAAF: What do you hope audiences better understand and feel about Pacific Islander culture after seeing the film?

Tiana Nonosina Liufau: Oftentimes I know everyone will really pay attention to a lot of the dance and the movement because it can be seen as entertaining and flashy, for lack of a better word. But there's so much more. This is the way that we would tell our stories and the movement is secondary. The story, the language, is going to be first. And then all those little nuances, like the way Moana serves her elders, the way that all of our council members are sitting down. The way she lowers herself—for us as Samoans, we know it's the same in dance. Before you dance, you lower yourself and then you start, you acknowledge that the time and the space then you dance. So they're not separate things. It has to coexist, otherwise we miss the mark.

Frankie Adams: Just how much love there is, how much we are connected through our communities and support one another and are there for each other. I think that this film really highlights that. There's so much love and support that not only was happening on screens, but behind the screens. And each character helps Moana get to that point where she needs to go off on her own. 

Rena Owen: It's something we all grow up with…we grow up on the land and we grow up on the ocean and our land is Papatūānuku, which is our Earth Mother. And our main food staple was Kaimoana (seafood). So to see that being portrayed in the movie, and that whole storyline of what happens to Te Fiti, our Earth Mother, which then affects the whole island of Motunui. I think it's a very simple but profound story for the whole world—we do need to take better care of our Earth Mother.

John Tui: There's an element from every culture in terms of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji. But in terms of the generalization, I think everything's in there. Song, dance, food, worship, the mythical sense, spiritual realm, family dynamics, everything. 

TAAF: How do you hope this film inspires the next generation of Pacific Islander storytellers and creatives? And what advice would you give them on how to get started?

Frankie Adams: I think it will inspire people in general. I think it will show them that this is possible, that our stories are things that people want to see. And advice, oh my goodness, if you want to write something, just start writing it and see how you go and just take it step by step. Don't go too far ahead of yourself. Just give it a good go and write what you know. 

Rena Owen: As Gramma Tala, I'd say listen to the quiet voice inside and follow your heart, and that's where your story is. Be true to who you are and what you're here to do.

Moana is out in theaters July 10.