No, in Disney's Moana, Moana is not the biological daughter of the demigod Maui; she's the daughter of Chief Tui and Sina, but theories suggest she's related through ancestry, potentially as a descendant of ancient voyagers, with some fans connecting her lineage to Polynesian myths where Maui interacts with human women, like Sina (Moana's mother's namesake), creating a spiritual or ancestral link rather than direct fatherhood.
Moana's father, Chief Tui, prohibited voyages beyond the island's reef due to the dangerous seas caused by a disaster triggered by demigod Maui. The ancient chiefs, including Tui, established a law to ensure their people's safety, preventing anyone from crossing the reef.
No, Moana and Maui do not have a daughter in Moana 2. As mentioned above, this is just one of the things that fans are speculating about the upcoming movie in YouTube videos and Reddit posts. Moreover, the teaser trailer of Moana 2 came out on May 29, suggesting nothing along these lines.
Yes, Australian newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia has been cast as the lead role of Moana in Disney's upcoming live-action remake of the animated hit, set to release in July 2026, starring alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Maui. The young actress of Samoan heritage brings a strong cultural connection to the part, joining other cast members like John Tui (Chief Tui), Frankie Adams (Sina), and Rena Owen (Gramma Tala).
Simea | Disney Wiki | Fandom.
The movie that almost ruined Disney was The Black Cauldron (1985), a dark fantasy animated film that was a massive box office bomb, nearly leading to the closure of Disney's animation division due to its huge budget, disappointing returns, and challenging themes that were too intense for its family audience. Its failure prompted major restructuring, eventually paving the way for the Disney Renaissance led by films like The Little Mermaid.
Filmmakers consulted the Oceanic Story Trust to help create respectful and accurate cultural portrayals. Lead actor Auli'i Cravalho, who voices Moana, is bisexual, but there isn't LGBTQ+ representation within the movie itself.
Maui's mother, Hina, was a very hard worker. She would work all day preparing food and making clothes, but there wasn't enough sunlight to finish all of her tasks. She had many kapa cloths to make.
Among the iwi of New Zealand, Hina is usually considered to be either the elder sister or the wife of Māui.
Character information
Te Fiti is a major character in Disney's 2016 animated feature film Moana. She is a goddess with the power to create life—an ability that she used to create the islands of Polynesia.
Born and raised in Kaneohe, Hawaii on the Island of Oahu, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda was cast as the voice of Simea, Moana's little sister in Moana 2. Much like the character she portrays, Khaleesi is lively, feisty, energetic and cares deeply for her family/friends.
Throughout her journey, we see strong family dynamics at play—especially between Moana and her parents. However, there are no explicit indications or scenes suggesting that Moana's mother is pregnant during these pivotal moments of exploration and self-discovery.
In fact, The U.S. Sun shares that “the Hawaiian alphabet does not contain the letters T or F, so the name Te Fiti has no exact meaning.” And The Sun cites names.org when this article goes on to share that “Others suggest that [Te Fiti] is of African origin, and means 'giver of life'.”
Kanaloa (God of the Underworld and Magic. Is also called Tangaroa, god of the Sea), is sometimes known as the father of Māui.
Disney is being sued by animator Buck Woodall, who claims the company stole his ideas for the Moana franchise from his earlier animated project, Bucky the Surfer Boy, alleging copyright infringement for both Moana and Moana 2. Woodall seeks billions in damages, but a jury recently ruled against him in the initial Moana case, finding Disney didn't have access to his work, though a separate lawsuit for Moana 2 continues.
Interestingly enough, the ancient Polynesians blended these two forms of storytelling to include real people who attained god-like powers with the fallibility of the human condition – creating what today we call demi-gods and goddesses. The most famous and well known of these is the demigod Maui.
The movie that almost ruined Disney was The Black Cauldron (1985), a dark fantasy animated film that was a massive box office bomb, nearly leading to the closure of Disney's animation division due to its huge budget, disappointing returns, and challenging themes that were too intense for its family audience. Its failure prompted major restructuring, eventually paving the way for the Disney Renaissance led by films like The Little Mermaid.
Moana 2 introduced a powerful demigod villain named Nalo who is being set up as the overarching villain of the Moana franchise reminiscent of how Thanos was for the McU's Infinity Saga.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following: Moana has to decide whether or not she will leave her home and family.
While Disney doesn't have many officially confirmed autistic characters, Renee from Pixar's Loop is nonverbal and explicitly autistic, and Lilo from Lilo & Stitch is widely considered an autistic icon due to her special interests (Elvis, photography) and social challenges, often described as "autistic-coded". Other characters like Belle, Bruno (from Encanto), and some Disney Channel characters are also seen as displaying autistic traits, with creators sometimes confirming these interpretations later.
There's no single #1 saddest movie, as it's subjective, but Schindler's List, Grave of the Fireflies, Requiem for a Dream, and Hachi: A Dog's Tale are consistently ranked among the most heartbreaking, often cited for their historical tragedy (Schindler's List, Grave of the Fireflies), intense emotional depth (Requiem for a Dream, Brokeback Mountain), or profound loyalty (Hachi). Other common contenders include The Green Mile, Titanic, and Manchester by the Sea.