Trailer Trashin’: Set Sail in the Teaser Trailer for Disney’s Moana
The summer movie season continues this week with the releases of Finding Dory and Central Intelligence. In the meantime, the latest Trailer Trashin’ column takes a look at the first teaser trailer for Disney’s upcoming animated film Moana.
Premise: In ancient Oceania in the South Pacific, the young princess Moana Waialiki (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) is a born navigator who sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson).
My take: Two-thousand sixteen is a big year for fans of Walt Disney Animation Studios, because two films are being added to Disney’s animated features canon this year, the already-released Zootopia and the upcoming Moana. This has only happened twice before in the history of Disney; in 2000, when Dinosaur and The Emperor’s New Groove both came out, and way back in 1940, which saw the release of both Pinocchio and Fantasia. Moana is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker – who have helmed six animated films for Disney, including The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), and The Princess and the Frog (2009) – and draws inspiration from Polynesian culture and mythology.
The teaser introduces us to the two main characters, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson). Moana is described as “the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators, who sets sail to a fabled island with a demigod to help her family.” Maui is a legendary hero found in the mythology of almost every Polynesian culture, from Hawaii to New Zealand. And who better to play a Polynesian demigod than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? And although we don’t yet know his/her name, I think Moana’s pet pig is adorable.
This is a true teaser, because we still know hardly anything about the film’s plot or the other characters. But Disney has been on a roll with its animated films over the last six years, and I don’t see any reason why that’ll stop now. I’m definitely going to check out Moana when it opens this Thanksgiving.
ANTICIPATION: I’m ready to answer the call of the ocean.
Starring the voices of: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Phillipa Soo, and Alan Tudyk
Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker
Writers: Ron Clements, Josh Musker, Pamela Ribon, Taika Waititi, Jared Bush, Aaron Kandell, and Jordan Kandell
Timothy Monforton
