Of all Disney's princesses through the years, Moana is easily my favorite. And I'm not alone: Seven years after its release, Moana was the most-streamed movie of 2023 with a whopping 11.6 billion minutes watched!
With the sequel coming later this year, I thought it would be fun to take a deep dive in the beloved film. So, here are 17 fun facts that changed how I view Moana:
1.Originally, Disney planned for the movie to focus on Maui, our favorite demigod. Moana was envisioned as a secondary character on a mission to rescue her love interest. Thankfully, that didn't happen! The film is much stronger as a journey of self-discovery.
2.Directors Ron Clements and John Musker also co-directed another Disney movie set in the ocean: The Little Mermaid. And they included a small Easter egg during "You're Welcome" — Flounder! You can spot him swimming with the other sea animals.
3.Speaking of "You're Welcome," the song was actually supposed to be sung by Moana instead of Maui before they'd nailed down the characters' personalities. John told Entertainment Weekly, "When she first met him, she idolized him, and when she came upon this down-and-out guy, this mope, she had to get him going and so she sang a song to him reminding him, 'Don't you know you did all these great things?'" Eventually, the team decided to turn Maui into the confident demigod we know and love today. Lucky for us as that's Dwayne Johnson's only song!
