Moana Trailer

Moana is a story of the daughter of the chief of a Polynesian Island. She is chosen by the ocean to reunite a mystic relic with a goddess, in order to break the curse that has been put over her Island.

Unlike Disney’s classic female protagonists, Moana is presented as a heroic character in the trailer. She does not need a prince to come and save her, instead she is shown as an equal to the male character, Maui, when they work together to break the curse.  We see Moana in a MS, steering her boat towards a stormy sea, looking determined and powerful. This positive representation of women sends out an important message to the young female audience, showing them that they are just as strong and capable as men. Additionally, the transformation from Disney's typical female protagonist reflects society’s changing values. As society has become more accepting of women being as strong and powerful as men, Disney have adapted the way that they present their characters. The strong female lead can also be seen in Disney’s frozen, as Anna saves her sister without the help of a man.

The male protagonist, Maui, attracts a large adult following as he is played by Hollywood legend, Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne has been in multiple comedy films and so from Disney's choice to hire him, they are connoting to the audience that the film will have funny elements that they can enjoy. An example of one of his funny moments comes towards the end of the trailer when he is hit in the bottom with blow darts and slowly falls to the ground.

Disney has also become more ethnically diverse by choosing to create a film with Polynesian protagonists. This widens the audience appeal as it is good to see ethnic minority groups being represented positively and accurately in the media. This strengthens Disney’s like-ability as it shows how the brand keep up with the ever changing, multicultural society and try to include everyone in the magic of their films.

Although Moana’s character subverts the audience’s expectations in many ways, it also conforms to classic Disney conventions in other aspects. For example, the theme of ‘good vs evil’ is very apparent in the trailer. At the beginning, we see a montage of wide shots to establish the Island setting. It is portrayed as the perfect place to live, as the vibrant colours of the water, land and sky connote that the Island is a place of serenity and happiness. However, the sense of tranquility created by the setting is juxtaposed by the fast paced, dramatic music that is playing in the background, which suggests to the audience that something bad is going to disrupt the peace on the Island. The audience can then infer from this that a battle between good and evil will take place during the film.

Furthermore, there is a sense of Magic in the trailer, shown when Moana is carried onto her ship by the magical ocean. Additionally, Maui is a demigod who can transform into different animals. This is seen when he jumps off a cliff and shape -shifts into a large bird, before transforming back into a human when he lands of Moana's ship. The sense of the supernatural appeals to the hardcore Disney fans who enjoy the magic and creativity in all Disney films.