Ocean

“The ocean is a friend of mine!”

―Moana to Heihei

The Ocean of the South Pacific is an expanse of sea that serves as a supporting character in Disney's 2016 animated feature film Moana. The ocean has a high level of sentience and acts as a legitimate character within the supernatural logic of the film's world. It spends a millennium searching for an individual capable of saving humanity when the world falls victim to a devastating curse, and ultimately chooses a young islander named Moana. Over the course of the journey, the ocean becomes one of Moana's most trusted and significant companions.

Background

The ocean was the first entity to roam the earth. When the world's first island emerged as a goddess known as Te Fiti, countless new islands were created with the ocean serving as the force that connects them all. After the heart of Te Fiti was lost at sea, resulting in the world being plunged into darkness, legends foretold that the ocean would one day choose an individual worthy enough to restore the heart and save mankind from destruction. Over the course of a millennium, however, these legends were thought of nothing more than fictitious stories. The only one who saw any truth within them was Tala, an eccentric woman living on the peaceful island of Motunui. Tala kept the stories alive by teaching them to the younger generations, including her granddaughter Moana, who felt drawn to the sea since her earliest years as a toddler.

The ocean has a mind of its own and can form its water particles into a tentacle-like appendage to grab objects. It will also use this method to mimic human traits such as head-nodding or high-fiving, as a way to communicate with Moana and her accomplices. At night, the ocean illuminates when emerged, giving off a glow similar to the light emitted from spirits of the deceased.

Essential guide description

Moana has loved the ocean since she was young and longs to discover what lies beyond the reef. It's as if the ocean is calling to her like a friend. And when she ventures out at last, it guides and helps her on her journey.

Development

During the creative team's visit to the Pacific Islands, the filmmakers learned from interviews with the native people that they felt a personal relationship and closeness with the ocean, and how the ocean itself was regarded as though it was alive. The filmmakers were then inspired to make the ocean a character to reflect this idea.^[1]

Role in the Film

Moana:

Since her days as a toddler, Moana was drawn to the sea. During one of her trips to the shore, she noticed a beautiful seashell and wanted to take it. Not far from the waters, however, a newly hatched sea turtle was having trouble getting to the sea, as a flock of birds threatened to eat it. The ocean challenged Moana's empathy by tempting her to choose between the shell and the sea turtle; she chose to save the latter. Moana's selfless act prompted the ocean to choose her as the world's "chosen one" and revealed itself as a sentient being. The ocean and Moana play together and form a bond, before the former gifts the latter with the heart of Te Fiti. Moana's father, Tui, calls out for his daughter, prompting the ocean to return her to shore and hide itself. As Moana is taken back to her village, she drops the heart, which is recovered by her grandmother, Tala.

As the years passed, Moana remembered her experience with the ocean, but assumed it was merely a dream. When Gramma Tala believed the time was right, she used her dying day to prepare Moana for her journey across the sea. Tala tells her granddaughter that she was chosen by the ocean. On queue, the ocean makes a dramatic return and playfully reunites with Moana. Shortly afterward, Tala passes away, but not before leaving instructions on how to find Maui and enlist him on the journey to find Te Fiti and restore the heart. Moana takes one of her ancestor's boats and sails off into the night. Accompanied by the stowaway rooster Heihei, Moana journeys to find Maui's island, but her boat flips over during the search. At Moana's request, the ocean creates a massive storm that shipwrecks her and Heihei to Maui's island.

Moana berates the ocean at first, trying to kick it in anger but it mischievously trips her instead, but soon realizes where she and Heihei had ended up: Maui's island. Though Moana is grateful to be there, she is still a bit miffed at the methods used by the ocean to get her there. They meet Maui, but he refuses to join the mission and instead steals Moana's boat. The ocean transports Moana to the stolen canoe in little time. Though Maui repeatedly throws Moana back into the sea, the ocean returns her each time. Eventually, Maui tries to leave himself, but the ocean prevents this as well and indicates that it is willing to keep doing it until he agrees. They soon reach an agreement to return the heart, and after recovering Maui's lost fish hook, they make their way to Te Fiti. On the way, the ocean forces Maui to teach Moana how to sail and navigate by paralyzing him with a Kakamora blow-dart, forcing him to teach her so they don't sink and much to his chagrin.

Maui battles Te Kā but is defeated. Moana nevertheless tries to bypass the lava demon, but this nearly gets them killed. Maui blocks Te Kā's blow with his hook, and this sends them into the blackness of the night and far from Te Fiti's shores. Maui's hook is severely damaged, and he blames Moana for the disaster because she believed that the ocean told her she was special. Turning into a hawk, Maui backs down from the mission and takes his leave after stating the ocean chose the wrong person to save the world. The ocean arrives to comfort Moana, who asks why she was chosen in the first place. Feeling she's failed, Moana tearfully requests that the ocean choose someone else to restore the heart. Respecting her decision, the ocean takes the heart back into the sea.

Moana is encountered by Gramma Tala and her ancestors following her decision, and their meeting reinvigorates the former, prompting her to dive into the sea to reclaim the heart. She and Heihei sail to Te Fiti and confront Te Kā. The lava demon nearly consumes Moana, but she is saved by Maui, who has had a change of heart. As Maui battles Te Kā, Moana heads for Te Fiti. Seeing Moana intrude, the lava monster throws a fireball to stop her. The ocean blocks its path and safely gets Moana to Te Fiti's shore. She cannot find the spiral in which the heart is to be placed, but looks into the distance and notices it to be on Te Kā's chest. Moana orders the ocean to part for Te Kā, and it responds immediately. Moana and Te Kā confront each other, but the former manages to tame the lava demon. The heart is then placed on Te Kā's chest, restoring her to the form of Te Fiti.

Te Fiti undoes the curse placed upon the world, and restores Moana's canoe. She and Heihei bid Maui farewell and return to Motunui. After they disembark, Heihei walks back towards the sea, though the ocean redirects him to the village. During the epilogue, the ocean gifts Moana with the seashell from their first meeting, which she places on Motunui's sacred mountain to signify her role as chief. Her tribe was last seen sailing across the ocean in search of new islands.