Born on the island village of Motunui, Moana is the eldest daughter of Tui and Sina, granddaughter of Tala, and the older sister of Simea, with an inherited love for the ocean and voyaging. Even though Moana loves the ocean, her parents aren’t happy about her decision. When her island becomes endangered due to the threat posed by an angry Te Kā, Moana is chosen by the Ocean to journey across Oceania to the island of Te Fiti to restore the heart stolen by Maui, and save her people. Te Fiti, an island goddess, created all life and became an island after falling into deep slumber. Te Fiti’s heart, a small pounamu stone, was sought after by the monstrous forces of the sea, until it was stolen by the demigod Maui. Leaving the island without the heart caused it to collapse and a lava monster named Te Kā to appear and confront Maui, which caused his fish hook and the heart to disappear into the ocean.
Moana heard Tala explain because Maui stole the Heart of Te Fiti, monsters roamed the seas and Te Kā’s curse destroyed islands and made sea voyage dangerous. Moana then saw Tala reveal that Te Kā’s curse has now reached Motunui and was shocked to hear Tala also reveal she had been chosen by the Ocean to save all of Polynesia from Te Kā’s curse as she was given the Heart of Te Fiti. As Nalo’s storm dissipates with the curse broken, a recovered Maui dives back into the water to find Moana, aided by the ocean now that Nalo’s power was broken, only to find her lifeless body floating just above Motufetu’s peak. Maui is devastated, begging for Moana to wake up, but when she’s unresponsive, he begins uttering a magical chant in the hopes of summoning help to resuscitate her. His chant is answered by Tautai Vasa, Grandma Tala, and the rest of Moana’s ancestors. Together, they manage to rekindle Moana, while also granting her a wayfinder’s tattoo and turning her into a demigoddess, with her oar becoming her magical object like Maui’s giant fishhook.
The film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements from a screenplay by Jared Bush and stars Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho in her film debut. It features songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi, and Mark Mancina, and an original score also composed by Mancina. The film is set in ancient Polynesia and tells the story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a coastal village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.
Not knowing how to sail, Moana rushes to her people and asks for their assistance in restoring the heart. With her dying breath, she tells Moana to go save her people and gives her the necklace used to carry the heart. Moana departs using one of the sailboats found in the cave and departs with Heihei, a dumb rooster who has accidentally stowed away on the sailboat. She seeks to find Maui by following a constellation that looks like his fish hook, but a wave flips her sailboat and knocks her unconscious.
Her mother Sina confesses that her father acts like this because of the loss of his closest friend when they went sailing to unforgiving waters one night in his youth. The first film, Moana, was released on November 23, 2016 to critical acclaim and commercial success. It features the voice talents of Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as Maui, as well as Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, and won the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature.
Maui apologizes to Te Fiti, who restores his hook and gives Moana a new boat before falling into a deep sleep and becoming Moana a mountain. Moana bids farewell to Te Fiti, returning home where she reunites with her parents and the rest of the villagers. She then succeeds her father as the chief (Chiefess) and also becomes the wayfinder, leading her people as they resume voyaging. Moana’s grandmother, Tala, tells the story of Maui, the shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea and master of sailing who stole goddess Te Fiti’s heart.
It also became the sixth highest-grossing animated film of all time, with a worldwide gross of over $690 million. After Moana was comforted and motivated by her grandmother’s spirit to continue her journey, Moana was still accompanied by Heihei as she resumed her quest. Upon returning to Te Fiti’s island, Moana kept Heihei safe inside her boat’s cargo hold as she confronted Te Ka.
Moana is an American media franchise created by Ron Clements and John Musker and produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It follows the adventures of Moana, a Polynesian princess and the daughter of the chief of Motunui, who sets sail across the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti and save her island from a curse. Along the way, she meets the demigod Maui, who becomes her ally and friend.
Then, when Moana decides to fulfill Tala’s dying wish by leaving Motunui to restore the Heart of Te Fiti, she is caught by her mother while preparing to leave but becomes happy when her mother reveals she supports her decision. After saying goodbye to her mother, Moana leaves Motunui to begin her quest. As she journeys to save her people, Moana worries of her mother’s well-being where she has a nightmare of witnessing both her parents being affected by Te Kā’s curse. She mournfully confesses her incompetence and demands that the ocean chooses someone else to restore the heart.
Immediately after Heihei eats the heart during an encounter with little pygmy pirates known as Kakamora, the Kakamora steal Heihei forcing Moana to retrieve it, after Maui learns of her inability to sail when they try to escape. After Moana retrieves Heihei from the Kakamora, Maui is able to get their massive sailboats to collide into each other and the three make it out unharmed. In order to do so, he needs his hook which is hidden in the Realm of Monsters, held by a giant villainous coconut crab named Tamatoa. In his lair, Maui barely retrieves his magical fish hook while Moana distracts Tamatoa by having him sing about himself. Afterward, Maui and Moana escape his lair and Tamatoa is left stranded on his back in a last-ditch effort to grab them both.
Moana reluctantly accepts her grandmother’s dying wish, packs supplies, and takes one of her ancestor’s boats. As Moana leaves, her grandmother’s light fades out, and her spirit appears in the form of a manta ray, which guides Moana past the reef and into the seas. The ocean carries Moana to Maui’s island, where the two meet and fail to see eye to eye. Maui is more concerned with Moana’s boat, which he steals by trapping Moana in a cave. She uses her wits and agility to escape, and catches up to Maui with the help of the ocean. Moana orders him to return the heart, but upon seeing it, Maui tries to leave the boat, only to be brought back by the ocean.