A Heros Journey and Archetypes

Moana (2016) - Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker

In the beginning there was only ocean until the Mother Island Te Fiti appeared. Her
heart had the ability to form life itself and she shared this gift with the world, after
some time people began to seek her heart to obtain this power for theirselves. One
day Maui - Demi God of the Wind and Sea using his shapeshifting abilities, (granted
by his magic fish hook blessed from the gods), succeeded in taking the heart, but
without her heart Te Fiti began to turn to darkness and from that darkness emerged
Te K - a lava demon. Te K confronted Maui and struck him from above, Maui was
never to be seen again The heart and his hook lost at sea. But one day a brave
hero will sail across the ocean, find Maui, deliver him to Te Fiti to restore the heart
before the darkness spreads across the world killing every bit of life.

Figure 1: Moana and mentor Grandma Tala

This is when we are introduced to our heroine - Moana, and her mentor - Grandma
Tala. Tala is the one telling a toddler aged Moana this legendary philosophy
according to Polynesian culture. During the tale we are introduced to the Goddess
of the story, Te Fiti and the trickster, Maui. Exploring Moanas village of Motunui via
a song, (where by the end Moana has grown from a toddler to a teenager), we meet
her mother, Sina and her father, (also the current Chief), Tui who represents authority
in Moanas life. Ever since Moana could walk she has always been drawn to the
ocean but her father, who also acts as the herald, forbids her and any of his people
from sailing beyond the reef after his friend was drowned by unforgiving waves -
and almost himself - when they were young. Moana receives her first call to
adventure when she was a toddler from the other mentor of the story - the ocean, it
entices a young Moana with shells and a dry pathway to find the heart of Te Fiti.
Just a baby she doesnt know
Figure 2: Moana and authority figure/father Chief Tui
what that means, the ocean
returns her playfully to shore
where her father refuses the
call for her and take her back
to the village. Forwarding to
the present, chief-in-training
Moana has been confronted
with a problem - there are no
fish in the reef as the darkness
has spread to Motunui, this forces Moana to suggest going past the reef for fish
which goes against her fathers most adamantly enforced rule which again causes
regularly occurring conflict with her authority figure.

Her mentor, Grandma Tala guides Moana down a dierent path, encouraging her to
follow this pull she has to the ocean and one day she listens to it, setting sail with
her pet pig into the belly of the whale - only to be greeted by the same unforgiving
waves as her father was all those years ago. Grandma Tala begins fulfilling her role
as the mentor plot wise by guiding Moana into a cave where all the rafts her
ancestors used are hidden away - here she learns that her and her people are
descended from voyagers and the pull shes been feeling to the ocean has cultural
history behind it. Tala gives additional supernatural aid by informing Moana she was
there the day the ocean made a pathway for her and gave her the heart of Te Fiti,
Moana had thought it was a dream. Tala explains that the ocean chose Moana to be
the one to find Maui and restore the heart, she gives her the heart she rescued that
day and tells her how to find Maui. Grandmas health begins to rapidly decline once
she hands the heart over, she gives Moana a sense of urgency in the ultimate boon
to go out on her adventure instead of staying by her side. Moana leaves and
crosses the first threshold, the death of a mentor part isnt harsh on Moana as Tala
joins her in spirit represented as a stingray swimming alongside her.

Figure 3: Moana and stingray spirit of Grandma Tala

The road of trials begin from here, consisting of finding Maui and encouraging him
to cooperate with her, to fighting o Kakamora, (one of two threshold guardians)
who also want the heart, retrieving Mauis hook which the giant treasure hoarding
crab demon Tamatoa, (the other threshold guardian), has and doesn't give up
without a fight. Maui being not just a literal shapeshifter but the archetype
shapeshifter too, makes him
reluctant to work with Moana.
Maui and Moana work as a team
which they do thanks to the
ocean not allowing either one to
leave the raft. During their time
together Maui teaches Moana
how to wave find - the essential,
fundamental skill of being a Figure 4: Moana and shapeshifter Maui
voyager.

By this point in the story our

heroine has proved herself
worthy and has earned the right
to achieve transformation, she is
now ready to face Te K with
Maui by her side. Unfortunately
her first fight with Te K doesnt
Figure 5: Villain - Te K work out in Moanas favour and
Mauis hook partly breaks, this
causes Maui to shape shift into a bird and abandon Moana. Now Moana is at her
lowest point and almost retreats when she has her meeting with a Goddess - her
Grandma Tala talks to her in spirit form reminding her who she is, where she comes
from and that she knows the way forward. Now shes received a boost from love,
Moana is ready to meet the temptress and villain for the second time where,
Moanas help from without shapeshifter Maui comes back to help Moana get past
Te K to the island of Te Fiti sacrificing his hook. When Moana reaches the island of
Te Fiti she reaches her apotheosis - her conscious has expanded and she realises
Te K is the form Te Fiti pursues without her heart. In giving the heart back Te Fiti
restores life and health to all the things that were eected; saving not just Moanas
village of Motunui but the other islands as well, in addition to fixing Mauis
destroyed hook.

 Figure 6: Maidens, Moana and Goddess Te Fiti

Thanks to the help of all her allies: Maui, Gramma Tala, the ocean and her
ancestors, Moana has completed her missing and can cross the return threshold
home back to Motunui, where she atones with her father and refuses to return to
her non sailing life. She brings back her villages lost tradition of wave finding and
voyaging in the final flight on the ocean waves. Moana has become the master of
two worlds land and sea allowing her to have the freedom to live.

Figure 7: Master of two worlds

Bibliography

Illustration List

- Figure 1. Moana and mentor Grandma Tala (2016) At: http://moana.wikia.com/

wiki/File:Moana_and_Tala.jpg (Accessed on 7th October 2017)

- Figure 2. Moana and authority figure/father Chief Tui (2016) [Screenshot] At:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kngzy08PPS0 (Accessed on 7th October
2017)

- Figure 3. Moana and stingray spirit of Grandma Tala (2016) [Screenshot] At:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxX6GFm3e9s (Accessed on 7th October
2017)

- Figure 4. Moana and shapeshifter Maui (2016) At: http://www.adorocinema.com/

filmes/filme-225958/fotos/detalhe/?cmediafile=21358723 (Accessed on 7th
October 2017)

- Figure 5. Villain - Te K (2016) [Screenshot] At: Link (Accessed on 7th October

2017)

- Figure 6. Maidens Moana and Goddess Te Fiti (2016) At: http://disney.wikia.com/

wiki/File:Te_Fiti_%26_Moana.png (Accessed on 7th October 2017)

- Figure 7. Master of two worlds (2016) [Screenshot] At: https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=tWrPeMn9tr8 (Accessed on 7th October 2017)