“To tell a story about the South Pacific is truly an honor”, the Rock said to a cheering audience.
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But thankfully, Moana won’t be alone on this journey, because she encounters the demigod Maui.
During the D23 Expo, “Moana” was one of the films which were launched and introduced by Disney at the Anaheim Convention Center. She takes to the seas to find the long-lost island that can connect her to her ancestors, along the way teaming up with Maui (Johnson). We begin to hear a drumbeat rise, only to see it is one of his tattoos on his chest making a drumming motion. “The goal was to be in the Disney family”, he shared.
The actor also highlighted that the animated movie brought him back to his roots being half-Samoan whose life has also been inspired by the South Pacific which happens to be the movie’s setting, the news site added. Maui begins to spin his giant fishhook hover his head, as we see a decidedly unimpressed Moana and her pet pig, Pua, watching with bored looks on their faces. Maui reacts incredulously to their blank unimpressed stares, “Nothing?”
Maui isn’t the only one Moana has a connection with, either. And they illustrate this in the film quite literally. The ocean itself, with the filmmakers debuting a clip that shows Moana as a toddler interacting with the ocean. As she’s walking on the beach, the water comes into the shore, and then divides to show seashells hidden on the ocean floor for her to collect. Moana walks deeper into the ocean, the water parting for her to move through safely, allowing a glimpse into the water and its inhabitants like in an aquarium. Moana will feature music from Te Vaka artist Opetaia Foa’I, a New Zealand guitarist; Mark Mancina, the composer behind Con Air, Speed, Tarzan, and Planes; and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who won a Tony and an Emmy for In the Heights.
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The reaction to the footage and proof of concept clips shown at D23 was really positive, especially the final clip showing Moana’s friendship with the ocean. It was officially confirmed that the A-lister would be joining the cast of Moana, playing the role of Maui… but what wasn’t said at the time was exactly what we could expect from the character.
