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Polynesian Princess "Moana" movie


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  • 5 months later...

 

D23 Expo 2015: “Moana” takes Disney fans on an emotional journey with clip, musical performance
Posted on August 14, 2015

by Ricky Brigante 

 

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Dwayne Johnson (aka “The Rock”), who lends his voice to the mighty demi-god Maui in Disney’s upcoming animated film “Moana,” hit the stage at D23 Expo 2015 today as part of the Walt Disney Animation Studios presentation

 

Renowned directors John Musker and Ron Clements (“The Little Mermaid,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Aladdin”), and producer Osnat Shurer shared early test footage and revealed plans for the film’s music.

 

Tony-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, Grammy-winning composer Mark Mancina (“Tarzan” “The Lion King”), and Opetaia Foa’i (founder and lead singer of the world music award-winning band Te Vaka) are working together to help tell the tale of a spirited teenager who sets out to prove herself a master wayfinder.

 

Following a tear-jerking clip from the film, Foa’i performed a bit of the movie’s music.

 

“Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.

 

http://www.insidethemagic.net/2015/08/d23-expo-2015-moana-takes-disney-fans-on-an-emotional-journey-with-clip-musical-performance/

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Even more amazing "Moana" artwork from the D23 Expo 2015:
 
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https://www.facebook.com/insidethemagic/photos/a.391990882034.180401.10300702034/10152940481867035/?type=1&theater

 

 

 

November 2016? That's a long time from now.

 

They announced a couple other new movies that are planned for way down the line - Gigantic in 2018 and Coco doesn't even have a release date yet.

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First Look at Disney's Newest Princess! Let's Welcome "Moana"
by Ly VelezPosted on August 19th, 2015 at 12:17am

 

This year's 4th annual D23 introduced us to a plethora of sneak peeks into the future of Disney, including a whole new look at the latest young lady to join the Disney royal family! Moana, which will officially be Disney's 56th Animated Classic and has a November 23, 2016 release date, will feature Disney's first Polynesian princess. The film will tell the story of a young but spirited girl determined to complete her ancestors' unfinished quest. She will have to traverse the waters of Oceania with the help of new friends and face foes head on. Co-director John Musker explains:

 

Moana is indomitable, passionate and a dreamer with a unique connection to the ocean itself. She's the kind of character we all root for, and we can't wait to introduce her to audiences.

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While the synopsis for the newest Disney animation has been known for almost a year now, very few other details had been released. However, the weekend long Disney convention gave us extra juicy details about the origin of the film concept and a long awaited sneak peek at the gorgeous concept art of Moana!

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Above you'll see Maui, a mythical oceanic demi-god who boasts moving tattoos and a fish hook. The shape-shifting character will be voiced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is part Samoan and the only official cast member to date.

 

While that's all good and dandy, what everyone really wants to know about is Moana! What does she look like and where did she even come from?

first-look-at-disney-s-newest-princess-lfirst-look-at-disney-s-newest-princess-l

Moana, whose name comes from the Hawaiian and Maori word for "ocean," has a rich story that originates from the beautiful, ancient culture of the Pacific islands. According to legend, 3000 years ago, some of the greatest sailors in history traversed the waves of the South Pacific, but the adventures suddenly stopped. Moana's story starts up during that mysterious hiatus as she picks up where her ancestors left off.

 

During their research of Pacific Island culture, the team behind Moana quickly discovered the importance of the ocean to the people of the Pacific. It is considered a living being and a friend, inspiring animators and story writers to very literally include the ocean as part of the cast.

first-look-at-disney-s-newest-princess-lMoana says hello to her friend the Ocean

Throughout the film, Moana will become one with the ocean she has loved since infancy, together facing mythical foes and extraordinary adventures! The Moana team explains:

We went to the islands and met people who were connected to the ancient culture and to the things that really made them unique. The whole idea of voyaging wasn’t in our initial story. And then we learned what a source of pride it was for them, that they were the world’s first great navigators, using dead reckoning to find their way across the ocean. We wanted to celebrate that. We came away from the trip knowing that we wanted to set a story in the world of voyaging and wayfinding. So for the story we were trying to tell, this 16-year-old heroine seemed like the right character to tell that story.

The early clips shown at D23 were unsurprisingly met with overwhelmingly positive reactions. Although we still a little over a year left, Moana seems like it'll be well worth the wait! But in the mean time, check out the rest of the gorgeous concept art below to satisfy your Disney craving!

Sailing into the Night

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The Worrisome Father

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The Homeland

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The Trusty Sidekick

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The Comical Friend

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The Fearsome Enemy

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Could Moana be the greatest princess yet?
 
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[sources: disney.wikia.com, techinsider.io, mtv.com, slashfilm.com]

 

http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/08/19/first-look-at-disney-s-newest-princess-let-s-welcome-moana-3482070

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  • 1 year later...

I had to dig deep to find this thread, but Moana is finally here!

The TCD gang was treated to a private screening of the movie at the Polynesian Village Resort last night with a few of our closest friends:

moana%20preview_zpsz7irvbul.jpg

We all loved it!

The animation is easily on the level of Disney's best films.

The music is fantastic.  It's amazing that they were able to snag Lin-Manuel Miranda to collaborate on the music.  In case you've been living under a rock, he's the creator of the Hamilton Musical, which has shattered all kinds of records and won all kinds of awards.  One of the songs just might give "Let it Go" a run for the money.

The story is great.  Not your typical Disney princess flick, and not even one annoying snowman.

They had the screenwriter, Jared Bush, speak to the crowd before the film, and he shared some interesting stories about how long they had worked on this film (5 years!), and how they cast the young lady who provides Moana's voice- all very interesting.

I give the film a 10 out of 10.

Grab your family and go!

TCD

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1 minute ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I had to dig deep to find this thread, but Moana is finally here!

The TCD gang was treated to a private screening of the movie at the Polynesian Village Resort last night with a few of our closest friends:

moana%20preview_zpsz7irvbul.jpg

We all loved it!

The animation is easily on the level of Disney's best films.

The music is fantastic.  It's amazing that they were able to snag Lin-Manuel Miranda to collaborate on the music.  In case you've been living under a rock, he's the creator of the Hamilton Musical, which has shattered all kinds of records and won all kinds of awards.  One of the songs just might give "Let it Go" a run for the money.

The story is great.  Not your typical Disney princess flick, and not even one annoying snowman.

They had the screenwriter, Jared Bush, speak to the crowd before the film, and he shared some interesting stories about how long they had worked on this film (5 years!), and how they cast the young lady who provides Moana's voice- all very interesting.

I give the film a 10 out of 10.

Grab your family and go!

TCD

Awesome! We have tickets to see it on Wednesday, and now I'm even more excited! 

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1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

In case you've been living under a rock, he's the creator of the Hamilton Musical

Not only have I never heard of him, I didn't even know this movie was coming out.  I vaguely remember hearing about a Hawaiian princess, but the rest is a surprise.  However, I happen to enjoy the rock I live under, so don't disturb me.  

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I have a cute little spoiler I want to share about the movie.

If you don't like spoilers, skip this post.

In other words, SPOILER ALERT!  But, this doesn't give away any plot points or ruin any surprises, so you may want to read it.

As I mentioned above, before they played the movie, the screenwriter, Jared Bush, spoke to us.  He told us how they cast the young lady who provides the voice for Moana on the very last day of casting, and how she came to their attention from a video someone submitted from some small performance she did at a talent show.  She did not apply for the job.  They found her.  She was 14 years old at the time, and will be turning 16 this week, which is the same age Moana is in the movie.  Jared made a point that this is the first time Disney ever used a voice actress who is actually the same age as the character.  The voices of other Disney princesses have been provided by adult women.

Anyway, because she was young and inexperienced, her mom was very involved with everything.  The two of them established a close relationship with the folks working on the movie.  Eventually, the writers decided to give the mom a small one-line speaking part in the movie.  Jared Bush told us that there's a scene where a woman from the village tells Moana that she's doing a good job.  That's actually the voice of the voice actress' real mom.  It was cool to know that, and knowing that made that really short scene more special to watch.

TCD

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On 11/22/2016 at 8:59 AM, Tri-Circle-D said:

I have a cute little spoiler I want to share about the movie.

If you don't like spoilers, skip this post.

In other words, SPOILER ALERT!  But, this doesn't give away any plot points or ruin any surprises, so you may want to read it.

As I mentioned above, before they played the movie, the screenwriter, Jared Bush, spoke to us.  He told us how they cast the young lady who provides the voice for Moana on the very last day of casting, and how she came to their attention from a video someone submitted from some small performance she did at a talent show.  She did not apply for the job.  They found her.  She was 14 years old at the time, and will be turning 16 this week, which is the same age Moana is in the movie.  Jared made a point that this is the first time Disney ever used a voice actress who is actually the same age as the character.  The voices of other Disney princesses have been provided by adult women.

Anyway, because she was young and inexperienced, her mom was very involved with everything.  The two of them established a close relationship with the folks working on the movie.  Eventually, the writers decided to give the mom a small one-line speaking part in the movie.  Jared Bush told us that there's a scene where a woman from the village tells Moana that she's doing a good job.  That's actually the voice of the voice actress' real mom.  It was cool to know that, and knowing that made that really short scene more special to watch.

TCD

Very cool! 

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Z and I are off of school for the week, so we went to see it today, and it is AWESOME! Z had the main song memorized and was singing it aloud before the movie even ended. Yes, we've already bought the soundtrack. Jason didn't go, and I suspect we will take him before it leaves the theaters. The story is good, the songs are awesome, the characters are likable. I suspected I'd like it after TCD said he did because I know he doesn't gloss things over, but it exceeded my expectations. 

Disney is brilliant. This is going to increase the demand for the Poly, the luau (will Moana appear there in the future?), and Aulani. 

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We all enjoyed it also -- me,my husband and 3 teenage boys who use the cover story that their Mom made them go see a Disney movie even though they wanted to see it :lol:.  Both my husband and one son, without hearing the other, said they thought the pig would have a bigger role.  I replied that you can still sell the stuffed version even if the role wasn't that big. Make sure to stay until the end of the credits. You're welcome.

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Wife, granddaughter (11) and I went and saw it last night.

Well made, I think it had a better storyline than Frozen and a lot of other recent Disney (and non-Disney) animated movies.

Had a few catchy songs, we will see if some of them get "pushed" as much as Let it Go.

Pig wasn't that impressive but the chicken was a keeper!

And as others have said, you need to stay past the credits, and they are long.

And the young lady that did Moana's voice did sing some of the songs, and so did The Rock.

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