Quote Originally Posted by Calliope View Post
When this project was first announced, it was said that Moana was going to feature a mish-mash of various demigods, palm trees, and hula scenes. Moana was maybe going to be Maori, or maybe Tahitian, or maybe Samoan; but who cares how accurate or researched something might be, us Pasifika peoples should just be happy to have any place at the Disney pantheon, right? It made me very nervous.

I do not think that this movie will be perfect, but I do think it will likely be good; mostly as Taika Waititi wrote this movie, Dwayne Johnson is a great choice for Maui, and the directors specifically cast a Pasifika actress as Moana. I am not a fan of the Hercules aesthetic, but I have to say that it was cool hearing Maui speak Te Reo Maori.
I was dubious and cautious at first, too, but I've warmed to the idea after learning that the key cast and writers all hail from cultures who have Maui in their mythology. Reaction in NZ has been mixed, since a lot of folks here don't realise that Maui's a universal figure througout the Pacific instead of a uniquely Maori demigod. I'm looking forward to seeing a version of his stories that might draw on Hawaiian, Samoan and other versions of the same mythical figure.