The live-action Moana is currently in theaters. I'll reserve judgment until I see it myself--We all know that live-action adaptations are hit and miss. In this stage of life (two little kids and a pregnant wife) there's virtually no chance of me seeing this movie until it's on Disney Plus. So instead of writing about the new Moana, I have some thoughts about her journey in the animated feature film.
As I began re-watching Moana in preparation for this blog post, I commented to Russell that this movie could easily be a case study about mistaken identity: Moana, Maui, Te Ka. The theme of identity is strong throughout Moana’s journey (and to a lesser extent in its sequel). While I could write about Maui or Te Ka (which I may yet do) I wanted to start with Moana.
This daughter of the chief spends the whole movie trying to figure out who she is and what her purpose is. She feels compelled to venture into the ocean, but also loves her island and wants to be a good chief someday.
At first, these two things are contradictory in her mind. Her heart calls her to the ocean but her father wants her to focus on Motonui. There’s nothing wrong with her father’s counsel to find her purpose “
where you are”. In fact, it’s not unlike President Uchtdorf’s counsel to “lift where you stand”. There’s something powerful in being able to “find happiness right where you are.” Moana felt the call to do more, but also served where she was until a formal call came. (PS: I think it’s notable that the call came after she learned about her ancestors—perhaps a tie in to family history there)
In the meantime, she struggled to wait for the call (which eventually came from her Gramma Tala). She knew she felt the call to see “how far [she’d] go” but also recognized her weakness. Her weakness was further pointed out and ridiculed when Maui joined her.
When Maui left, Moana felt the weight of her call and her inadequacies even stronger. She couldn’t fathom why the ocean would choose her to pursue this mission. For a moment she gave it because it was too heavy for her to bear. As Gramma Tala’s spirit came to her, Moana strength through her grandmother’s validation and her influence helped Moana to integrate all she had learned about herself from the journey. The Holy Spirit can do the same for us and not just in our low moments.
“Who am I?
“I’m a fur 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 who found their way across the world; they call me!
“I’ve delivered us to where we are.
“I have journeyed farther.
“I am everything I’ve learned and more, still it calls me.
“And the call isn’t out there at all; it’s inside me.
“It’s like the tide, always falling and rising.
“I will carry you here in my heart.
“You’ll remind me, that come what may I know the way.
“I am Moana!”
I love this scene because Moana learned how her experiences and everything she’s discovered has shaped who she is. She doesn’t have to simply be the chief’s daughter. She’s that but she’s also a wayfinder. She’s brave, loyal, insightful, and adventurous. All of these things shape who she has become. And, like her grandmother said in the sequel, “we never stop choose who we are.”
We are our heritage, as children of God.
We are our experiences in mortality (for better or worse).
We are the things we’ve learned.
And we choose who we want to be.
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