Moana is a departure from the typical Disney princess movie in that its protagonist is not a simple goody two shoes but instead a multidimensional character with her own tale to tell about how she grows, how her family and friends support her, and how she helps others.
Despite the fact that the movie had several problems that needed to be fixed, it did manage to lead Disney into a new period of storytelling.
It rapidly became popular all around the globe, and the only thing that remained open was when precisely this entire event happened in the story.
So, when do the events of Moana happen? Moana’s events occurred approximately 3,000 years ago in western Polynesia. Historians refer to the time period as the “Long Pause”, which occurred well before the events shown in the film.
The plot is really unique in comparison to what Disney often puts out, which is one of the reasons why the movie became so popular so soon. Regardless of some early criticism, it has continued to be well received by readers, so if you are interested in acquiring further information on this subject, be certain to go through the entire article.
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When Exactly Did the Events of Moana Happen In The Past?
Historians believe that humans originally landed in the Western Polynesian islands approximately 3,500 years ago; however, they believe that Polynesians settled in Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga initially and then had a pause for approximately 2,000 years until continuing their migrations to other islands.
The events of Moana took place around 3,000 years ago, during the time period known as The Long Pause.
The residents of Motunui rarely leave the reef since, according to a long-standing custom that is only partially explained in Moana, they are forbidden to do so. By the time the movie is complete, Moana has learned more about her ancestors’ earlier lives as sailors and explorers.
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It is believed that the absence of equipment that might have been used to counteract the high winds that prevented Polynesians from traveling eastward was the cause of the Long Pause.
Other ideas involve ciguatera poisoning brought on by algae blooms, a beneficial breeze created by El Nio continuing for a longer period of time, and apparent supernovas tempting people who like astronomy to leave the islands.
Upon conquering these obstacles, the ancient Polynesians went back to their expeditions and eventually found and settled practically every island across the central and eastern Pacific that was suitable for human habitation.
Where Exactly Did the Events of Moana Actually Occur?
The movie’s story unfolds on an imaginary island known as Motunui, which serves as the setting for the action. Our main character, Moana, calls this place home, and it seems to be situated someplace in the South Pacific.
The island of Motunui was located and settled by a family of explorers led by the legendary Matai Vasa, who was conceived of by the goddess of the island, Te Fiti.
They established their ownership of the piece of land by establishing a prosperous community together on it.
Matai Vasa and the others chose to remain on the island even after the youngest population had left it in order to go on with their voyages and exploration of other areas.
The life-giving heart of Te Fiti was taken by the demigod Maui, who then proceeded to give birth to a horrible darkness that extended across the entire world.
This darkness was joined by sea-dwelling creatures who prowled the seas, wreaking havoc on anyone that got in their way and devastating everything else in their path.
The island does not truly exist in the real world; nonetheless, the site described in the film is likely very close to its real-life equivalents.
This is because the majority of the locales shown in the film are inspired by places from the exact same geographical region.
Moana’s production crew spent a significant amount of time in the South Pacific, exploring a variety of countries and territories including Aotearoa (the Maori term for New Zealand), Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, and Fiji, as well as many others.
The production crew developed a map depicting Moana’s trip, which can be viewed in the book The Art of Moana. On this map, Motunui is located to the east of Tonga, close to where Niue really is in the real world. The island that Te Fiti envisioned for himself was modeled after Tahiti.
Even while Moana contains aspects of a wide variety of Polynesian traditions, there are a select couple of islands that are more similar to Motunui than the remainder.
Motunui is comparable to Tutuila and Tetiaroa in regards to its topography and appearance; in fact, Disney’s production crew paid an official tour to each of those islands. There are a number of ways in which Motunui and Samoa share a cultural affinity.
The term “tattoo” originates from the Samoan word “tatau,” along with the traditional Samoan male tattoo known as the “Pe’a.” The buildings on Motunui are designed to resemble traditional Samoan “fales.”
The song “We Know The Way” has a few lines in Tokelauan, which, based on the Tokelauan composer Opetaia Foa’i, is close to Samoan that Samoan people may comprehend it. In many mythologies, Maui is a prankster and a savior. In Samoa, he is a demigod or kolohe, like in the movie Moana.
Where Does the Story of Moana Come From?
Moana tells the tale of a fearless princess who, against her family’s wishes, embarks on a perilous journey across the Pacific Ocean with a demigod in order to restore a holy relic to an island goddess who cursed Moana’s people after the gem was taken.
After the stone is retrieved, the dangers of the sea will be significantly reduced, and her people will once again be able to explore the ocean below in quest of sustenance.
Princess Moana is a made-up character, and there was never a deity named Maui in Polynesian mythology.
As shown by historical sources, the first people arrived in Western Polynesia some 3,500 years ago.
These colonists established colonies. Yet, it took them another 1,500 to 2,000 years before they were able to conquer the islands of Eastern and Central Polynesia.
It is also unclear to researchers why Polynesians took such a long time to move to other parts of Polynesia.
The directors of Disney’s newest full-length animated feature film, Moana, came to the conclusion that they could make strategic use of the historical conundrum by inventing the character of Moana and weaving an answer to the question that had historians scratching their heads into the narrative of the film.
As per the Polynesian belief, Maui had been very helpful to the Polynesian people throughout their history.
He established the islands, instructed mankind in the art of fire making, and used a lasso to surround the sun till it consented to an increase in the length of daylight during the summer months.
On the other hand, there were a couple of aspects of the fabled demigod that the architects of the character did not get quite right. For instance, the legendary Maui is a youthful, immortal, and slim individual who is both wise and courageous.
Nevertheless, in the movie, Maui is shown to be unable to traverse the oceans without the aid of a little mortal girl. As a result, many reviewers argue that this portrayal of Maui makes him out to be inept and stupid.
Every child who has watched the film will be capable of telling you that the source of Maui’s strength is his magical fish hook, which is much bigger than usual objects.
In order to destroy his opponents and rivals in Moana, Maui transforms himself into a variety of species with the use of this fish hook. As per Maori mythology, Maui had a fish hook of his own.
As per Maori history, Maui once used his fish hook to bring in a big fish, and that monster eventually evolved into the North Island. Maui’s exploits are credited with the formation of the North Island.
The Kakamora was certainly among the most eye-catching and unforgettable aspects of the film.
During the course of the film, these are the tykes who make an attempt to harass Moana and Maui when they are out at sea.
They seem like little coconuts that have grown limbs and given the fact that they play a villainous role in the movie, it’s impossible not to warm up to them.
Based on Pacific culture, the Kakamora are a kind of little mammal that make their homes in woods and caverns.
It is stated that they defend the woods and have no sympathy for people, so you might think of them as little personifications of Mother Nature.
Because it is said that they might eat people if they were starving, you might consider them as having no regard for people.
Tamatoa is another figure that originates from Polynesian mythology, and many fans consider him to be the most intriguing character in the movie.
Maui and the underworld’s large crab engage in combat as Maui attempts to retrieve his lost hook from the enormous crab. Maui’s opponent is the underworld’s giant crab.
Conclusion
This article will teach about the places where the story of Moana takes place, as well as the time in history where, according to historians, the storyline happens.
