The power of representation in ‘Moana’

We all have a favourite Disney princess, whether it’s the whimsy of Snow White or the steadfast Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. Joining the long line of Disney’s iconic female characters is Moana. The animated movie musical shot to stardom in 2016 with its ground-breaking eponymous star who ushered in a new era of female leads with no romantic storyline and a more realistic body type.

Apart from the heartfelt songs, the movie also features its first Polynesian cast — a key feature that sparked interest in creating the new live-action adaptation.

Taking on his first directorial role for a feature film, Thomas Kail brings his usual flair and collaborators to Moana. We catch up with him to find out what went into bringing the modern classic to life and what his experiences with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were like.

How did you use your experiences from theatre and movie musicals to bring Moana to life?

I’ve had the great fortune of working with Lin-Manuel. In our years of working together, his music is the guide. It does a few things: it deepens character, it connects us emotionally to them, and it advances the story. That’s something I learnt when we did In the Heights and was proven even more with Hamilton. Being back together again in Moana, we had to trust the music.

What did Dwayne Johnson bring to the movie the second time around?

The very first meeting I had about even possibly doing Moana was in March 2023. I had an in-person meeting with Dwayne, who I heard about from Lin. We had never met before, but we sat down and two minutes in the conversation one of the first things he said to me was, “I want to have a chance to celebrate my culture in live action.”

He said they did it so well in 2016, but what he wants to bring with the opportunity now is to see it realised in flesh and blood. One of the other things he said was that he couldn’t wait to get back to Maui and explore the character again. He said, “I am not the same person I was when I did this 10 years ago” and wanted to see where he intersects with Maui now.

Since I come from the theatre, where multiple productions that do revivals are quite common, this idea of interpreting material that’s the same, and seeing what you can do with it, gets me quite excited. Once Dwayne said those things, I knew that we were on the same page.

What was it like working with Dwayne?

He’s a joy, a wonderful partner, and a leader. This is obviously my first feature film and he has a wealth of experience. He’s also a producer on this film, so he was with us through prep and all the way to post. I had immediate trust in him and he had a lot of faith [in me], as I’m a guest to this culture.

Audiences share a lot of frustration with their exhaustion with live-action adaptations. Are you not worried about the backlash you might receive?

I can’t speak to those folks, but how I think of it, especially with this one, is the duration. When Catherine Laga’aia, our lead, first saw Moana she was almost 10 years old. When she auditioned for it, she was 16. The difference in her life is one of the reasons for it being [made].

Because this movie is about celebrating culture and putting something on screen that is about memorialising a group of people that are misrepresented cinematically, that is to me a reason for being that is profound. Do I understand that there are people that exist that will have hesitation about seeing something that has been transposed from another form? I understand that, but I feel like if you give it a shot and go to the cinema, you can find that it stands on its own.

What was your approach to this remake, especially with the expectations fans harbour, and that people need to see it so it makes a profit?

I’m 27 years into this business, and I know I look a hundred, but the only thing I know how to do is to make something I want to watch. That’s what guides me. When I’m making a play, a musical, or a movie, I need to make sure that I am entertained and moved. Eventually, other people come in, and they have their experience, but I think that I stand in for the audience until there is an audience.

One of the things I love about making things for the cinema is that it puts you in the dark shoulder to shoulder with people you love or have never met in the same room, having the same experience. I love that this year has been full of people going back to the movies. I am a big believer that you can make high-quality things without acrimony, tension, and pressure. What happens afterwards, in some ways, is not what I am in control of. I just want to make sure there’s something that’s worth leaving your home and spending your hard-earned money on.

Is there another Disney movie you have your eye on?

One that comes to mind is The Sword in the Stone. There’s something thematic in the work that I end up attracted to. It is generally a question of who I am, what if I am different from the way other people see me, and what if I’m not the thing that I thought I was? I realised that Moana asks that question explicitly. And it’s the same story in The Sword in the Stone. It’s about realising power and understanding that our perception of ourselves might not line up with the destiny that’s in store for us, and how we reconcile those things.

Moana is in cinemas from July 10.