Talk:Moana/@comment-5342139-20160621002121

OK guys, for anyone who wants to know about the clips at Annecy, in which they showed lots about Moana. And of course, SPOILERS. Evidence from here: http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28620&start=1760

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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.

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.