Moana is the fifth non-Caucasian
In Disney's nearly 100-year history, there has been only one Black Disney princess — Princess Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 animated feature starring Anika Noni Rose.
The fifth grader beat out hundreds of girls to land the gig voicing the young Tiana, Disney's first animated African American princess. It's a role that would become synonymous with Tony Award-winning actress and singer Anika Noni Rose, who played the older version of Tiana.
There are currently only five non-Caucasian Disney Princesses: Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana and Moana.
Disney Princesses is the fastest-growing brand for the company's Consumer Products division. Disney introduced its first non-white animated heroine in 1992's “Aladdin”: a Middle Eastern character named Jasmine.
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it's hard to stop!
While some claim Jasmine is Arab because the movie opens with a song called Arabian Nights, others believe that the architecture in Agrabah is clearly based on the Taj Mahal, making Jasmine Indian.
Rapunzel is a German fairy tale about a young woman named Rapunzel with impossibly long hair and who lives alone in a tower, held captive by a witch. It's also the German name of a vegetable commonly used in salads.
It was unexpected, Elsa and Anna are both portrayed in the animated film as two Norwegian princesses from the 1840s — it's highly unlikely that their father, the King, was not white.
"As a proud Polynesian woman, it's not often that you see a film like Moana come out. It headlines our Pasifika culture, and it's lead by our Polynesian artists in the industry. Moana represented true Polynesian strength, determination, and pride.
The theory is that there is a barrier between the spiritual, mystical world and the real world, with Maui's island located in the former. In order for Moana to get there (and return the relic stolen from the goddess Te Fiti) she has to die, too.
Pocahontas (US: /ˌpoʊkəˈhɒntəs/, UK: /ˌpɒk-/; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka, c. 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia.
Disney is finally coming up with an Indian Princess. The Disney franchise is collaborating with filmmaker Gurinder Chadha and screenwriter Paul Mayeda Berges for an original musical feature. The film will reportedly be about a 'dynamic princess' from the pages of Indian history.
The original Aladdin was actually Chinese
While the true origins of the tale of Aladdin cannot be completely verified, the story is often attributed to French writer Antoine Galland, who claimed a Syrian told him about a boy and a genie in China.
Hei Hei means “chicken.” Moana's father Tui is named after a New Zealand bird. Her grandmother's name, Tala, means “story” in Samoan.
Māui is the great trickster hero of Polynesian mythology. Much pre-European Polynesian history is related to this inventive character. Many of the stories are legendary – the theft of fire, the capture of the sun, the pursuit of immortality, the descent into the underworld in search of his father.
The Walt Disney Company introduced its first plus-size female protagonist in a new short film about body dysmorphia. The animated movie, “Reflect,” tells the story of Bianca, a ballet dancer who “battles her own reflection, overcoming doubt and fear by channeling her inner strength, grace and power.”
Ariel appears as an adult in Return to the Sea and gives birth to a daughter named Melody, becoming the first, and currently, only, Disney princess to become a mother. Ariel is protective of her daughter, as Triton was of Ariel in the first film.