When Disney’s Moana originally revealed that Dwayne Johnson would voice the character of Maui, it was a big deal. Johnson was then, and still is, one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and having him part of the Disney family is huge for the studio. But playing Maui is also a big deal for Dwayne Johnson.
While Dwayne Johnson has had a hilariously hard time convincing his youngest daughter that he is Maui, that doesn’t mean his daughters aren’t huge fans of Moana. The Rock recently told GMA that his daughters see themselves in Moana, which is why the original film and the upcoming Moana 2, are so important. Johnson explained…
I think for these girls, my daughters, who see themselves in Moana because they are girls of color, really one of the beauties of Moana is little boys, little girls of all colors around the world can see themselves in these characters.
A lot of people have been beating the drum of representation for a long time, but it bears repeating. We fall in love with movies and characters because we can understand and empathize with them. Having movie heroes that look like you makes you feel like you can be that hero.
Children of color, children of Polynesian descent specifically, don’t have a lot of movie heroes, so when it does happen it’s important. Little kids can see themselves in these characters, and everybody else can see that heroes can look like anybody.
Many of the best Disney animated movies have had female protagonists. That sets the films apart from most, but until recently they’ve all been white characters. Over the last few years we’ve had Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, and Wish all broadening the diversity of Disney’s heroes. While not all those films have been hits, some have, showing that audiences are more than willing to embrace these characters.
The popularity of Moana goes without saying. The fact that the original movie is getting a sequel is a big deal. While Disney is doing a lot more animated theatrical sequels than it used to, they're still rare overall. But the original Moana is still one of the most streamed movies on any platform.
Moana has clearly been a family affair for the Dwayne Johnson family. The Rock brought his daughter at one point when he was recording lines for Moana 2, and the character of Maui was in part inspired by The Rock’s grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.
Expectations for Moana 2 are quite high. The upcoming Disney movie was originally planned to be a TV series for Disney+, but the quality was reportedly so good that the decision was made to pivot the project into a feature film instead. While such a big shift left some fans concerned, early reports on Moana 2 have been quite positive.
