Our Thoughts on Disney’s Moana & Moana Coloring Pages
Tuesday is discount day at my favorite movie theater, so can you guess what we did? We went to the movies and saw Moana–for the second time! We saw it a couple of weeks ago, and the kids have been begging to get the DVD ever since. I haven’t been able to convince them that it isn’t available yet, but I was hoping that today’s repeat viewing would appease their appetites…if only temporarily.
Moana is the story of a young girl who is the daughter of Tui, chief of the island Montunui. Her father forbids anyone to travel beyond the safety of their island’s reef, but Moana is drawn the sea, and she soon discovers that the ocean has chosen her to fulfill an important task that will restore a balance that had been lost long before. Breaking her father’s rules, she teams up with the demigod Maui to complete her quest. Their journey is one of self-discovery for both, and as you can imagine, they encounter various obstacles along the way. In true Disney style, this movie will have you laughing, learning, and singing, yet Moana is a truly original story.
Disney put a lot of research into Moana, and it shows. Inspired by oral legends of the Pacific Islanders, Directors Ron Clements and John Musker (the team behind The Little Mermaid and Aladdin) traveled throughout Oceania to learn everything they could about its people. “Navigation—wayfinding—is such a big part of Pacific culture,” says Musker. “Ancient Polynesians found their way across the seas, wayfinding island-to-island without the use of modern instruments, using their knowledge of nature, the stars, the waves and the currents.” Intrigued by the fact that their voyaging mysteriously stopped for a millennium, they developed the character of a brave young girl and her role in the rebirth of wayfinding.
The storyline is entirely fictional, but the details used to construct it were based on the in-depth research of the filmmakers who spent time among the Oceanic communities where they they learned from experts about their archeology, anthropology, history, culture, music, dance, carving, and more. To make Moana as authentic as possible, they knew they needed to involve these experts in the creation of the film. They assembled the Oceanic Story Trust (OST), a group of anthropologists, educators, linguists, expert tattooists, choreographers, haka specialists, master navigators, and cultural advisors, whose work with Disney had a major influence on everything from the material used in the clothing to the local plant life to the story and characters themselves.
The stories and the characters are some of my very favorite in recent Disney animation. First, I was thrilled that there is no love story here. With Moana, Disney has proven that you can make a powerful, inspiring, exciting, and engaging movie without adding superfluous romance. The story really can be just about the story, and that’s more than enough. Of course, the addition of some amazing music doesn’t hurt, and they’ve really outdone themselves with this one. The entire soundtrack is impressive, but I haven’t been able to get Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” out of my head. The first time we saw this, I had three kids with me, and they all made me find it on Spotify and listen to it over and over again until we got home. The drive took us almost an hour, and I didn’t argue once.
Oh, and you’re probably wondering where the heroine’s cute sidekick is. Well, she has two this time.
Pua, her pet pig, is adorable and was inspired by the many pet pigs the filmmakers encountered during their travels throughout the Pacific Islands. My favorite of the two is HeiHei, a cute and clueless rooster. HeiHei was almost cut because the story team wasn’t sure how to make him fit, but I’m glad they worked it out because he had me laughing out loud from the beginning to the end of the movie.
Moana is a winner in my book, and I feel like I’ve really been needing one of those lately. Whether you’ve seen the movie yet or not, anyone who likes to color can enjoy these fun Moana coloring pages! (Just click the image below and download or print the file.)
Take my advice and go see Moana while it’s still in theaters. This is one you’re going to want to catch on the big screen. (And then you’re going to want to get the DVD.)
