THE WORLD OF MOANA : A young Moana wanders through her village of Motunui as her father , mother , and the rest of the villagers sing a song teaching her the way in which they use ... coconuts . Of course , the lyrics are not solely about coconuts , but to Moana , they might as well be . She wants more ; she is drawn to the ocean as if she belongs on the waves — the water is fused to her soul .
The film expertly uses this song (“ Where You Are ”) to quickly show life as Moana grows up , with members of her village identifying what her responsibilities will be as future chief . Later in the song , we find a tween-ish Moana , donning a royal headdress and learning more about these future responsibilities , gazing off into the distance .
Her grandmother , Tala , stands on the shore and dances . Moana has tried to get to that water all her life ; each time , her parents have dragged her away . There was always something more important to be done . But here stands Tala , dancing .
Moana sneaks away from the less exciting world of coconuts to meet Tala at the water ’ s edge .
This is where Tala joins in the song . Her lyrics are not about what Moana ’ s future might hold but about where her passions lie . Tala sings about the water as if it is alive , and Moana connects because this is how she sees it .
Does the water dance ? Is it mischievous ? Can it truly misbehave ?
OUR WORLD : To answer these questions , we could just say , “ It depends on how you look at the waves .”
Many in our WDW Magazine community refer to Walt Disney World as “ home .”
Countless memes , comments , and posts share this viewpoint . If someone from the outside were reading through our social media posts , they might respond , “ That ’ s not your home ! You don ’ t live in a theme park .”
This is factually true . It also misses the point .
I can remember being nine years old at the jumping water fountains in front of the Magic Eye Theater in EPCOT , having just watched Michael Jackson save the world . I raised my hand to catch the water as it flew above my head . It splashed against my fingertips and flew through the sky before landing softly at the next fountain . Then it took flight all over again .
Was the water truly flying ? Did it have a mind of its own ? As I ’ ve grown , I learned the answers to these questions . This was an Imagineering effect . I understand this the same way that I understand that Cinderella Castle was built by a construction company . Permits were filed , and animated characters do not live behind the windows .
But you know what ? This changes nothing .
It doesn ’ t change the memories of a nine-year-old boy in awe of the way the water was jumping or the way I felt watching my own daughter at seven , in her princess dress , posing with Cinderella before we walked the stairs to her Royal Table . It doesn ’ t change the looks of excitement exchanged after riding Rise of the Resistance with my wife and daughter feeling immersed in Batuu .
The answers to some questions aren ’ t all that helpful . Join Tala and dance with the mischievous water .
BY BRIAN MCCUMSEY
The jumping water fountains . PHOTO BY LAURIE SAPP