Sandy beaches, lush greenery, clear blue water and sunny skies: this is the image that comes to mind when Hawaii is mentioned. Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is drawn to Hawaii’s beauty and spent $100 million for a 700-acre plot of land on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Moana is about a spirited teenager, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho), who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfil the unfinished quest of her ancestors. During the journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and together they traverse the open oceans on an action-packed voyage.
Moana is not the usual Disney heroine who is fair and sports a sharp nose, sparkling blue eyes and golden locks. Disney has gone ethnic and has got the details right – Moana has brown skin and an upturned button nose. Most importantly of all, she is strong and has a beautiful soul.
This is Johnson's second time playing a demigod. His first was Hercules. It's not difficult to equate Dwayne Johnson to the demigod Maui. The only difference between them is that Maui has a thick wavy mane while Johnson swears by a clean shave. Maui is the crux of the movie as he steals the heart of the Te Fiti, a powerful island goddess who creates life, and thus brings disaster upon the island’s people.
Created by the creators of Frozen, Moana is touching and encouraging; it's about how everyone should listen to the little voice inside of themselves and let it guide their actions. Even those who aren’t exactly crazy about musicals are very likely to fall in love with the songs, especially How Far I’ll Go which was nominated for 2017 Oscar and Golden Globe Best Original Song. The film itself was also nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars.
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In Queensland Australia, there's a barista named Moana Clark who's making waves over the fact that she not only shares a name with the newest Disney character, Moana, but also looks just like her. In fact, the barista at the Bayorama Cafe when seen with her brother, Thomas, might make you swear they are the live action versions of Moana and Maui. This picture of them together has been shared a ton of times on social media as people see the resemblance.