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Credit: Inside the MagicOne of Disney’s most popular animated films over the past 10 years that has come out of their studios is Moana, however, the movie title and name is actually “banned” due to legality issues and trademarks in many countries within Europe, which led the movie to change both its name, as well as the titular character.
Moana, was released in 2016, and quickly emerged as a monumental success, garnering widespread acclaim for its captivating storyline, stunning animation through the progress of animated water, and a musical score that would be sung for years. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the film was able to gross over $690 million globally, solidifying its popularity among audiences as well as receiving praise for its cultural representation, particularly its respectful portrayal of Polynesian traditions and mythology.
Auli’i Cravalho voiced the determined and spirited protagonist, Moana, who embarks on a journey to restore the heart of Te Fiti and save her people. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson lent his voice to Maui, a shape-shifting demigod and Moana’s reluctant ally. The film garnered Academy Award nominations, with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “How Far I’ll Go” receiving massive acclaim.
That being said, in many European countries, Moana never existed, but Vaiana did.
Novagraaf explains, “Moana is registered as a trademark in Spain, and in a number of other European countries, hence the change to Vaiana in Europe. According to the INDAC blog, one of the creators of the cartoon, John Musker, also confirmed this information at the last Annecy Film Festival. ‘Moana’ is not legally available for use in most European countries and, given that ‘Vai’ means ‘water’ and ‘Moana’ means ‘ocean’, the sense is ultimately the same.”
Those living in North America or other parts of the world, excluding Europe have likely never heard of Vaiana, as the film would never appear as such on Disney+ or was never used in Western marketing for the film. However, after visiting Paris and turning on what we were expecting to be Moana, we were quickly confused as to why Vaiana came up on our screen.
In the dubbed version, the music and script have been altered to say Vaiana in place of any section that listed Moana. Now Vaiana is common in Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Spain, and Sweden.
Interestingly enough, Disney has never explained what trademark infringement Moana would touch, but Cartoon Brew has provided what seems to be a plausible solution. The publication stated, “Disney Italy hasn’t offered any official explanation, but the running theory in Italian media is that Disney was compelled to change the name thanks to the notoriety of Italian porn actress Moana Pozzi, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 33.”
The publication continued, “Like the Disney princess, Pozzi’s first name had Polynesian roots; she was named after a Hawaiian island that means “the point where the sea is deepest.”
Again, while not confirmed, it does make sense that if Moana Pozzi was already a popular SEO term on Google in Europe, naming a Disney princess after a porn star would likely reflect in some inappropriate search results for kids. In Disneyland Paris, Moana, or shall we say, Vaiana does not hold a strong presence in the parks. We were not able to find a meet and greet version of the character or many glimpses into the animated feature. When you visit other parks like Walt Disney World, however, Moana is featured in multiple nighttime shows like Fantasmic, and Happily Ever After, she also meets at multiple parks (EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom), and has her own attraction, Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.
Disney’s bout with Vaiana vs. Moana in Europe will only continue, as the live-action version of the movie, which is likely featuring Dwayne Johnson (as he is the one who made the announcement through Disney) is set to move into production in the near future.
Johnson shared a special announcement video filmed on the island of Oahu where he grew up.
“Deeply humbled to announce we’re bringing the beautiful story of MOANA to the live action big screen!” Johnson wrote in his Instagram caption. “This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace, mana and warrior strength. I wear our culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once in a lifetime opportunity to reunite with MAUI, inspired by the spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me. We’re honored to partner with @DisneyStudios to tell our story through the realm of music and dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people.”
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While there is not much information on the progress of the film, we can predict that Moana the live-action film will be titled Vaiana in many European countries on its release.
Did you know that Vaiana replaced Moana in many European countries?