Fresh off their popular/critical hit “Zootopia,” Walt Disney Animation Studios invited us last month to take a sneak peek at what will be their 56th animated feature: “Moana.”

[Non-attributed photos courtesy of Disney]

Leading off the day was Director Leo Matsuda and Producer Sean Lurie discussing the conception and creation of their fantastic short “Inner Workings” which will accompany “Moana” in theaters. The short portrays a working man caught in the middle of his brain and heart’s conflicting desires.

Leo Matsuda on the “Inner Workings” inspiration: “As you can see, I’m Japanese-Brazilian–you can probably tell from my accent–I have a Japanese side that is very disciplined and logical, but I also have my Brazilian side who loves Carnival and parties, so I feel that I’ve always had this tug-of-war between the two extremes in my life, and I think this short portrays some of that.”

–Other influences on the short include the works of Jacques Tati, Wes Anderson, Ward Kimball, Golden Books, and the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
–Paul, the main character, was initially envisioned as a generic white guy, but the crew insisted that Matsuda’s sketches looked like him, and after his fiancee agreed, he changed the character design to reflect that.
–The overlying shape of things in Paul’s office is square, indicating the rigid world of the brain, as opposed to the world of the beach which is wavy and curved and where the heart wants to be.
–The journey to developing an art style that would make bodily organs adorable vs. disgusting took influences from aquatic animals and how they move in water.
–Ultimately, the story is about finding balance between the demands of the brain and heart as opposed to either abandoning all responsibilities or failing to live life to the fullest.

Next up was Producer Osnat Shurer introducing “Moana.”

Shurer on the journey to making “Moana”: “A few years ago, after ‘Princess and the Frog,’ Ron (Clements) and John (Musker)…were talking about what their next feature should be. John had long been fascinated by stories of the…South Pacific. This incredible, beautiful area of the world that many of the residents call ‘Oceania.’ And he read a lot of Polynesian folktales and looked at the varied and really fascinating stories of the demigod Maui, and the various stories there. Ron loved the idea, and they went together to our Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, and pitched some ideas.”

–As part of the extensive research they conducted, the filmmakers went on several trips to multiple islands in the South Pacific which significantly changed the direction of the project.
–The Moorean phrase “know your mountain” became an important concept to the story: In order to know where you’re going, you have to know where you come from.
–They were introduced to the concept that the ocean does not divide the islands, but in fact unites them as one.
–A variety of people they met on their voyages became regular references to them on matters of cultural representation–an “Oceanic Story Trust.”
–The task of creating a soundtrack incorporating the musical rhythms of the South Pacific with a contemporary sound eventually fell to the team of Opetaia Foa‘i, Mark Mancina, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
–All the leads of the film have South Pacific roots.

Auli‘i Cravalho, voice of Moana

Dwayne Johnson, voice of Maui

Directors John Musker and Ron Clements then took the stage.

After a short recap of their illustrious careers at WDAS, the two recounted the story development of “Moana”: “In our research trips in the South Pacific, we learned first hand the importance of navigation to this culture. So really, we built the whole story around the true fact of the Pacific Islanders being the greatest navigators the world has ever seen. 3,000 years ago, they found their way across the Pacific starting in Taiwan, going through New Guinea, working their way from West to East. And in one of the greatest feats of nautical exploration, they used dead reckoning, they had no instruments whatever, and based on their knowledge of the stars and the currents, they found their way across the ocean in a great feat. And we wanted to celebrate that.

“But according to experts that we spoke with, about 3,000 years ago, everything stopped. All voyaging stopped. For a thousand years, everyone just stayed put and they didn’t migrate. And then about 2,000 years ago, it started up again. And then they proceeded to populate the Eastern Pacific, including Tahiti, Hawaii, and New Zealand. And because it was an oral culture, nothing was written down. To this day, no one actually knows why the voyaging stopped, or how it started again. It’s a mystery.

“We came up with a theory, which is the basis of our movie…What if there happened to be one young girl that was responsible for things starting up again?”

–“Moana” means “ocean” in many different South Pacific languages.
–She is 16 years old, the daughter of a chief, fearless, smart, and high-spirited.
–Her pet pig is “Pua.”
–Moana’s desire to explore is at odds with her father’s decree that no one ever venture beyond the reefs of their island, but is fanned by the stories of her Gramma Tala.
–Her intellectually challenged rooster is “Heihei.”
–Maui has a magical fishhook “like Thor’s hammer.”
–He is covered with tattoos, and one in particular of himself–“Mini Maui”–was supervised in 2D by famed Disney animator Eric Goldberg.

Next time, we’ll be recounting presentations from animators in charge of the environments, characters, effects, story, and more.

“Moana” will be opening November 23, 2016.

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