Some additional info from Disney's presentation at Cannes.
This picture is set in the South Pacific and stars a young islander princess who belts out songs with tribal beats reminiscent of Disney's 1994 "The Lion King", while venturing across an ocean in the company of a despondently defeated god, Maui.
Lasseter insisted on Disney's on-location research for the movie, and the respect it sought to attach to the myths and culture of populations on Tahiti, Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii. "It will be a musical in a classic Disney way," but with music inspired from that region, he said, presenting one of the drum-thumping tunes to appear in the movie, due out in time for Christmas next year. "Music and Disney go so hand-in-hand," Lasseter said -- a truism that is anchored in many a parent's head after endlessly repeated viewings of "Frozen" and other Disney hits.
Source:
http://www.afp.com/en/news/talking-anim ... ing-movies
A song montage was shown to Cannes attendees who showered it with applause while Moana‘s rendering of the ocean, which is also a character in the film, received hoots and hollers.
Source:
http://deadline.com/2015/05/pixar-prese ... 201430240/
John Musker and Ron Clements’ Moana, set for release over Christmas 2016, is inspired by the folktales and culture of the South Pacific. Lasseter noted that the Disney team had taken several inspiring research trips to Oceania for the film. “They are deeply changed by the people they met,” Lasseter said. “You want to tell a story that really honours them.” In fact, a ‘trust’ of people from anthropologists to grandmothers to fishermen has consulted on the film.”
The lead character is a tribal princess who is headstrong and musically talented, and wants to become a great navigator. “The ocean itself is a character, it’s unlike anything you've seen before…the ocean is alive and it has feelings,” Lasseter said, before showing a clip finished the day before the presentation, which showed off the new water animation technology that drew the biggest cheers.
Source:
http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/ca ... 30.article
Last among the original new properties was Moana, a Mulan-style musical jaunt from Disney, inspired by a studio trip to the South Pacific. It’s titular character is a Polynesian princess who defies her father’s wishes by setting out on a boat to find a new island for her tribe. Moana teams up with the demigod Maui, a cute pig called Pua and a cranky rooster called Hei Hei to take on a wicked island spirit.
Lasseter screened a clip showing “the ocean as a character”. A young Moana chased after a shell that was spinning in the surf. The ocean drew back and allowed her to walk into a tunnel of water, revealing fish and a giant turtle. The ocean teased and tickled Moana, changing her hair style with a splash, before sending her back to land on a coconut husk. It was a cute scene, visually remarkable thanks to Disney’s work on animating fluid dynamics, but the prospect of the film as a whole felt a bit wet.
Source:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/ma ... nude-scene
Moana follows a tribal princess of a long-lost tribe who are noted in history of discovering island in the South Pacific for 3000 years. There were 1000 years where they stopped – for unknown reasons – and Moana follows the eponymous heroine who wants to be a navigator, bringing back the centuries-old tradition. The father does not want her to get into danger, whilst her grandmother nurtures the adventurous side. When the grandmother dies, Moana sets out to follow her wishes. She gets caught up in a storm and washes ashore to find demi-god Maui inhabiting the island. He was a folklore hero, who could fish up island from the ocean floor with his magic hook. One fight with an evil spirit loses him his hook-staff and Moana finds him post-loss. Together they get back out to the ocean, battling sea monsters, and building up to fighting Maui’s nemesis and regaining his powers. It’s a similar yarn to most Disney films – a heroic journey – but has this ancient, South Pacific vibe to it. Lasseter showed us a lot of character profiles, all of them looking typically Disney and full of life without any animation. There’s a pig side-kick for Moana, and a grumpy rooster that later joins, and one badass-looking spirit foe.
We also saw the research crews trips to the islands (a nice perk to the job), learning about the culture from many citizens. 8 or 9 people are now consultants on the film as they are trying to get this story as sincere as possible. The music is a crucial part as this will be a musical. With The Little Mermaid and Aladdin directors Ron Clements and John Musker directing, this should be a musically-alive film. We got to see the opening sequence (in scraps of storyboard and semi-rendered clips), which is a musical-opening. The song had a strong drum rhythm and tribal hymns, before moving into English lyrics (much like Pocahontas).
The last point Lasseter made about Moana was the animation. During research many citizens told the team how important the sea was, and how it was a character in the history of their ancestors. This changed the film slightly and Moana became a princess with powers – an ability to interact with the water. Parting sections of the ocean and playing with the water as if it was a pet meant the water had to look good. They had the technology from Finding Nemo, but Moana required more due to its essential water element. Our final clip showed a toddler Moana having the ocean reveal shells by lifting itself off the floor to uncover them. It then splashes her, and parts itself to show her a turtle swim by (like seeing it through a watery window). With the South Pacific clear blue water, the colour was awe-inspiring. The effects were so magnificent, corresponding with the twee Disney princess and bright colour palette, that you can understand the amount of work put into this.
Source:
http://www.liveforfilms.com/2015/05/21/ ... d-preview/
And they STILL haven't found the voice of Moana yet?
