As It Hits $1 Billion at the Box Office, ‘Moana 2’ Finds Itself Mired in Political Controversy

in Entertainment, Movies & TV

Moana with her little sister

Credit: Disney

Disney CEO Bob Iger seems to know what he’s doing. In late 2023, he shuffled Disney’s 2024 movie slate, ensuring the company would only release four films for the entire year.

However, in doing so, Iger virtually guaranteed that all four movies would be massive hits and stabilize the company’s film division. Both Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2 made over a billion dollars, and Mufasa: The Lion King has made over $600 and is still the number one movie in America, nearly a month after its release.

Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) standing together.
Credit: Marvel Studios

That left Moana 2, which, over Martin Luther King weekend, became Disney’s third film of the year to reach the billion mark. Disney had the only three billion-dollar films of 2024, giving them 32 all-time to reach that mark.

Despite its billion-dollar status, Moana 2 is mired in controversy. Last week, an animator sued Disney for $10 billion, claiming that the company stole his idea for the Moana franchise. Now, Disney finds itself in the middle of a national dispute between the government and an Indigenous people.

Maui with Pua and Hei Hei in Moana 2
Credit: Disney

New Zealand Moana Controversy

The Walt Disney Company sells movies worldwide, and it must translate them into the native language of the people watching them. However, there are times when something gets lost in the translation, or it causes controversy.

Disney stepped into a local fight in New Zealand with its translation of Moana 2. Disney has been working with a local distributor to translate the film into te reo Māori, the language of the Indigenous Polynesian people of Aotearoa, the country’s northernmost island.

Characters from Moana 2
Credit: Disney

However, the New Zealand government has been trying to suppress the use of the language for years and has ramped up efforts in the last year. A new conservative government came to power last year and banned using the reo names and the language in official government documents. The government also cut $30 million in funding for teachers to learn and use the language in their classrooms.

Disney has already translated four films into te reo Māori, including Encanto and Coco. However, seeing a Polynesian story on the screen would help to boost the morale of the Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.

When Disney films are translated into te reo Māori, it becomes a big event for the people. Schools schedule field trips to see the movie, and the voice actors who do the translations become big stars, including walking the red carpet at the premiere.

In an attempt to prevent people from seeing the film, the local government cut funding and jobs at the Te Reo Māori television station. Despite that, the movie was a hit for Disney in New Zealand.

It appears that despite its best efforts, The Walt Disney Company is back in politics—this time in New Zealand.

in Entertainment, Movies & TV

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