When the credit rolled on Moana 2, we couldn’t recover from the beautiful reveal that Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) made an enormous sacrifice which resulted within the Disney Princess becoming more than a royal wayfinder. As Moana gazed upon her items within the type of a brand new tattoo and oar improve, she requested herself “does that imply… ?” earlier than Maui (Dwayne Johnson) gave a winking response as a non-answer as they celebrated their win against the gods.
So we took to the texts—the primary Moana movie (streaming on Disney+) and The Artwork of Moana 2 by Kalikolehua Hurley—to see if we may resolve this revelation.
Okay, we’re protected behind the spoiler bar and might shout: does Moana dying and being introduced again to life with a brand new wayfinding tattoo on her arm and a magical oar, courtesy of the gods and her ancestors, imply she’s a demi-god?
Once we went again to the primary movie, it seems that reward is one thing that’s been arrange because the begin of her life. Just like the mythologies Joseph Campbell based mostly his hero’s journey on, the lore is deep. At the beginning of Moana we meet the long run excessive priestess of Motunui, who the ocean select to safeguard the guts of Te Fiti as a bit of lady, and he or she carries the artifact together with her into the adolescence when her journey begins. In a imaginative and prescient from the spirit of Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), the final wayfinder from Motunui, she will get the revelation that her folks had been voyagers earlier than Maui took the guts of Te Fiti, inflicting darkness and monsters to unfold round them. She’s inspired by her grandmother Tala to reply the decision of her ancestors and turn into a wayfinder as her dying want: to “Discover Maui, seize him by the ear” and ship him throughout the good ocean to revive the guts of Te Fiti and cease the blight affecting the islands.
And as quickly as she sails away, the ocean that selected her begins to check her. At the beginning of her journey, Moana is shipwrecked on an island after mainly drowning and washes up on the shore the place Maui is exiled. Right here we get our first trace, as a result of Moana took on insurmountable odds for a human in an effort to struggle for the way forward for her folks, and is led to the god she’s gotta seize by the ear to make issues proper. And as she will get to know him it’s defined that Maui was thrown into the ocean as a child however saved by the gods who hooked him up with a brand new position as a demi-god after he ought to have drowned, very like Moana virtually did.
As they turn into buddies, Maui says the ocean was searching for a curly haired non-princess her to ship him throughout the good sea to satisfy the promise made, however when Te Kā refuses to let Maui ship the guts (he will get his tush deservedly handed again to him), he doesn’t take it in stride. He tells her she’s only a lady, Moana tells him the “ocean selected me,” and out of anger Maui says “it selected flawed”—the second check in a mythological sense.
Moana lets this get to her for a second, and offers the ocean the guts again, refusing the decision as soon as once more. “You must select another person,” she tells the ocean. Then her grandmother Tala exhibits as much as inform her if she’s able to go dwelling she will probably be together with her, however Moana takes her oar (a supply of energy) and hesitates. This in fact results in the gut-wrenching efficiency the place she sings “I’m Moana!” as her grandmother and Tautai Vasa assist her notice who she is, realizing the decision is inside her like her ancestors. This second offers her enhance she must understand how and he or she performs a superhuman feat to revive Te Fiti’s coronary heart. On the finish she goes again dwelling to raised put together to be a wayfinder—she’s nonetheless only a teen. These occasions are is echoed on the finish of Moana 2.
Within the sequel, when Maui and Moana together with their crew put together to tackle the storm God Nalo, it’s a feat that’s harmful for any human. Her ancestor Tautai Vasa couldn’t attain Motufetu, which is why he guides Moana so she will full the mission and break the angered god Nalo’s curse on humanity to maintain them aside. After just a few shut calls, it turns into clear Moana is coaching for one thing better as sung within the Rock’s Maui anthem, “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?”
Right here’s a take a look at the god within the making coaching montage panels from The Artwork of Moana 2:
Moana was meant to observe her ancestor’s taking pictures star to finish her future of reuniting the islands of the ocean. Even one other trapped goddess, the Batwoman Matangi, taught Moana to get misplaced and take unconventional paths like Gate of the Gods, which how can an atypical human even take? Wanting again now, we are able to argue Moana has had the seeds of being a demi-god from the beginning, having survived issues no human ever has.
After she and her crew had been transported to Motufetu’s sunken spot, it’s Maui time, however the storm god Nalo hits Maui together with his lightning putting a blow that strips him and his hook of powers and renders him human earlier than he can increase the island out of the ocean. The track “Past” echoes her destiny, as Moana sings “There’s future in movement/And it’s solely simply begun/Now will this life I’ve labored so laborious for come undone?” Her grandmother solutions, “I’ll at all times be proper beside you, However maybe you’re meant for extra,” and you’ll see on the next pages of The Artwork of Moana 2 the energy of the ocean backs Moana up as she dives in to carry out one other superhuman feat.
Moana dives deep, swimming in the direction of Motufetu to fufill the future of her folks and Nalo strikes her with lightning. It appears Maui was proper all alongside that no human can tackle the gods, and Moana successfully dies. However her sacrifice isn’t for nothing and her ancestors present as much as assist her rise to her future. Right here is the place Moana is lastly prepared and together with the blessing of the ocean gods is seemingly granted the position of a demi-god with the wayfinding tattooss that seem on her arm and energy into her now magical oar.
We’d wish to suppose that the artwork from her historian crew member depicting their journey in Moana 2 (as seen beneath from the behind the scenes e book) confirms it.
Moana 2 is out in theaters. The Artwork of Disney Moana 2 is on sale now.
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