A Deeper Look Into Moana
A film of extraordinary character development
The Main Question of the Film
“Why doesn’t the ocean just return the heart itself? Why does it need you?”
Early in the film, Maui voices this thought which Moana had most likely been wondering herself, too. Why doesn’t the ocean just return the heart itself? Why choose someone obviously less capable than itself to fulfill an important task? It has the power to do so, after all.
The movie sets out to answer this question that I’m sure many of us in this life have asked ourselves at some point as well. What is the point of being here? What could I possibly do that the universe couldn’t do itself?
A great story doesn’t comprise of just one person’s major development, but of the range of interlinked development between all the characters involved. This essay looks at the many ways that each main character in Moana is brilliantly developed over the course of the movie while quietly answering the larger philosophical question that is asked by the movie in the background.
On Te Ka/Te Fiti
“This is not who you are…”
Moana sings this to Te Ka at the end of the movie when she comes to realize that Te Ka is actually Te Fiti. Her fear of Te Ka releases in that moment of recognition and she walks fearlessly towards this outwardly vengeful being.
I like to imagine that in that moment of recognition, it becomes clear to Moana what her journey was for: to bring healing.
There will be a time in most of our lives when we are at the end of ourselves, so unrecognizably far from the kind of person we want to be. When we are our worst selves, there is a tendency to believe that this is just who we are and will always be. When someone sees us and speaks this truth to us — that this is not who we are and are destined to always be, just who we are right now — this breaks the narrative that keeps us trapped in this pernicious cycle.
“This does not define you…”
Having someone recognize the good in us and speak truth into that is one of the most impactful gifts we can impart to those we know and recognize. Through Moana’s love of her island and the sea, she undertook a journey that led her to see Te Ka for who she is, not just who she’s become. Moana gives Te Ka the gift of acknowledging that who we are in times of stress and darkness is not who we truly are.
“You know who you are…”
Healing Te Ka/Te Fiti also works to fulfill a number of Moana’s deepest desires: to bring healing to her island, to help her people, to partner with the ocean, and be a voyager. This healing of Te Ka not only healed Te Ka and her island, but also brought Moana purpose. Moana didn’t know that all of these things would connect but she stayed faithful to her inner calling to return the heart to Te Fiti, even when it didn’t make sense.
On Maui
“You’re no one’s hero. But put [the heart] back? Save the world? You’d be everyone’s hero.”
In the beginning of their journey together, Maui is begrudgingly reluctant to help Moana. Moana immediately recognizes his need for humanity’s approval — side note: our insecurities are always most evident to others than ourselves — and she plays on this to persuade him to help her restore the heart.
“The gods aren’t the ones who make you Maui. You are.”
This is the beginning of Maui’s journey towards his own healing. Moana speaks this truth into Maui to help him see his worth outside of his powers and the approval of others.
Maui, believing himself unworthy since birth of true acceptance, sought to seek worth in what he does and the conditional acceptance from others. This overwhelming burden made him very protective of the things that would help him achieve this, especially his magic hook. Maui becomes extremely defensive when prodded about his tattoos that tell the story of his abandonment and is later consumed with anger when his hook gets cracked. These are evidence of the deep permeation of this insecurity into his identity, which is only able to be overcome by being tested at deeper and deeper levels.
Maui’s character development hits its next milestone when he learns to utilize all of the animals that his malfunctioning magic hook turns him into. Instead of bemoaning the fact that he can’t always be the great dominant hawk that he wants to be, he ends up surrendering some control and rolling with what he’s got, utilizing the individual strength of each of the different animals he randomly transforms into.
“Without my hook, I am nothing”
“We are only here because you stole the heart in the first place”
Maui’s growth is fiercely tested when his hook is severely damaged and Maui realizes what is at stake by continuing on with Moana. He is at a fork in his path— he can hold on to what is left of his cracked hook or risk it all to help his friend.
It’s at this time that Moana challenges him with the truth: that they are in this battle because of his actions and that it is his responsibility to fix what he has broken. These two things — taking responsibility for the consequences of his actions and letting go of his need for approval — are issues that Maui hasn’t come to terms with yet. He meets these truths with self-righteous anger and denial, then leaves.
In the end, Maui makes the choice to show up to help Moana in her fight against Te Ka*, risking the permanent loss of his hook/power/gods-given gift. His process of reckoning is hidden from the viewer — did Maui realize that his power could be used for something greater and to bring restoration? — but the result of his time alone is proven by his actions in the battle. Even once Maui’s hook is destroyed, his reaction (very different from his previous reactions) shows that he already came to terms with its loss before that moment. It’s only when he lets go of his dependence on his hook that he proves that he has let go of his need to gain approval for himself.
*This is a reoccurring theme in this movie, which is that we always have the option to come back and make things right, even after we decide to leave.
On Moana
“No, we’re here because the ocean told you that you’re special and you believed it. [The ocean] chose wrong.”
In the midst of his anger and confrontation with his own ugly truth, Maui fires these statements at Moana, which hit at the core of her biggest insecurities. This is the moment when she is faced with the same insecurity that she felt in the beginning, but even more so now that it’s coming from a person that she has a relationship with/someone who knows her. This time, instead of being able to brush off this insecurity or put it aside, she has to face it in the middle of the ocean, alone, after a failure. Like all faith that is tested, it needs to be renewed and committed to again and again.
“I am Moana of Montunui”
Moana says this line repeatedly throughout the movie, constantly reminding herself of who she is when faced with fear or in need of direction. This mantra reminds her of her home and the island that she is fighting for.
“Why did you bring me here? I’m not the right person. Choose someone else. Please.”
We always have a choice. This movie does a beautiful job of illustrating this. Whether you believe in a god or not, this scene shows the concept of our free will so perfectly. Whether you believe you have a calling or not, you always have the choice to choose it or reject it. And when you reject it, you also have the choice to jump off the boat, dive deep, and retrieve it if it’s still there. The ocean doesn’t force it upon her when she decides to give it up. But it was also there in her reach when she decided to take it up again.
“I never should have put so much on your shoulders. If you are ready to go home, I will be with you.”
In Moana’s darkest time, her grandma arrives to speak truth into her. Her grandma, like the ocean, gives Moana the freedom to return home by freeing her from the burden of needing to fulfill her grandma’s last wishes. When given this choice, Moana hesitates. Sometimes it’s easier to do things when we feel like we have no choice — it’s hardest when we are given the freedom to pursue what we actually want because that requires strong clarity and conviction to know what it is that we deeply and truly want.
“She loves her island and her people. Moana, you’ve come so far. Do you know who you are?”
When Moana is confused about her next steps, her grandma tenderly reminds her to remember who she is by who and what she loves. She sings, “Once you find what you like then there you are”.
Moana responds, “I am a girl who loves my island. I’m a girl who loves the sea. It calls me. I am the daughter of the village chief. We are descended from voyagers, and they call me. I’ve delivered us to where we are, I’ve journeyed farther, still it calls me. The call is enough, it’s inside me. I will carry you in my heart, you remind me that come what may, I know the way. I am MOANA.”
Through what she loves and remembering her family history, Moana is reminded of why she is here. This is especially hard to do when so freshly shaken up from a big personal failure. But this is often the very time that one needs to return to the foundation of who you are and why you’re doing what you are doing. It takes great courage to sit still in the midst of hardship and ask the hard questions... and have the patience to sit and wait for the honest answer.
After this climactic scene, Moana changes the “you” in her declarative statement to “I”, taking on the responsibility that was supposed to be Maui’s.
“I am Moana of Montunui. I will board my boat, I will sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te Fiti.”
The Answer to the Main Question: Breaking the Cycle
The ocean chose Moana before she was “ready”. Moana didn’t know how to sail. She already failed once. Moana may not have been ready, but she learned how to do it along the way. In fact, one may argue that her failures and her vulnerability may have made her more receptive to finding the clearer purpose within herself to continue on the challenging journey.
The ocean chose Moana because of her deep passion and her destiny that were intertwined into that, which becomes evident in the end: her deep desires become fulfilled by bringing healing, not just to her island but to herself and all the characters in her journey.
One person’s abandonment led to an action from his brokenness that led to a chain reaction of brokenness. Maui’s insecurity led him to steal the heart of Te Fiti to gain approval from mankind, which in turn created Te Ka and wreaked havoc on the islands and Moana’s village.
The healing of all of the major characters in this movie is achieved by Moana answering the call that she was unequipped for. By conquering her fear of the ocean and learning to voyage, she follows the instruction to recruit Maui (who was also unequipped to support her) and return the heart to Te Fiti. By helping to heal Maui first, and then herself, they both bring healing to Te Ka who is Te Fiti. By healing Te Fiti, the islands are healed and the people are able to live without fear again. This healing allows Moana to return back to her island and restore harmony to her family, especially her father, who was unable to move past his painful history with the ocean until it felt safe to voyage again. All of this healing was interconnected and is a beautifully illustrated answer to the first question. Why didn’t the ocean just return the heart itself?
The Answer: There was a bigger plan that involved more people and more healing than just Te Fiti herself.
In Conclusion
Sometimes in life, the terrible storm that looks like it’s going to end you actually ends up being the help that you asked for. Moana asked the ocean for help, and the ocean washed up her and her boat on an island where she was to meet Maui. This process didn’t look at all like how she had imagined it to be, but it turns out the ocean answered the call from Moana, too.
I love that at the end, Moana places a large conch shell atop where her family chiefs have stacked stones as they took on the responsibility of taking care of their village. This large conch shell is fitting for the large calling that she got from the ocean, whose voice is often heard when placing one’s ear on the shell. It’s befitting her calling as a voyager, which is where she takes her family as she accepts her responsibility as a chief but in a different way — her own unique way.
7/4/20 Post-edit note: My friend Tammy had an important insight that I wanted to add to this essay. Here is her comment:
A thought I had from the Te Fiti section is the difference between a person seeing/speaking the truth of who I am versus God/higher being/yourself doing that same thing. I was imagining what it would look like if the ocean did return the heart to Te Fiti. Yes, we would miss the development of all the characters mentioned, but I wonder if Te Fiti herself wouldn’t have been fully healed/restored/redeemed if the ocean had returned it. Maybe Te Fiti would have held onto anger and still wanted revenge for what was done to her. But the fact that Moana/Maui had returned it meant that Moana/Maui recognized the wrong that was done to her and actively attempted to restore what was broken. Maybe that’s what healed Te Fiti, that Moana saw who she was and also recognized the wrong done to her and finally actively chose to restore the wrong.
