Moana - Off to Other Lands~

Personality

As described by Gramma Tala, Moana "stands out from the crowd". She is sea-loving, headstrong, strong-willed, practically fearless, and physically capable. Though she has moments of self-doubt, she has great pride in who she is, and is generally too stubborn to back away from new challenges. Moana approaches new experiences and tasks with the utmost seriousness, and will stand her ground to fight for what she values even when all seems lost. Despite her lack of experience outside of Motunui, Moana can present herself as an imposing force despite her size and has bested the most fearsome beasts and impossible obstacles across the seas of Oceania while relying almost solely on her own intelligence.

For all her strengths, Moana suffers from major identity crises. Surrounded by a loving family and a supportive community of neighbors, Moana cares a great deal for her people, and the village in which she was born and raised. However, she also has a passionate love for the ocean and the idea of voyaging beyond her home island's barrier reef. Throughout Moana's life, voyaging had been prohibited as a means to keep the people of Motunui safe, but even so, Moana's spirited and tenacious attitude kept her dreams of experiencing life beyond her island alive. At the same time, Moana was happily devoted to her village during her time as chief-in-training. An intelligent and resourceful leader, Moana was quick to remedy any problems her village faced and was masterful in keeping herself composed and optimistic during times of a crisis. Moana's loyalty towards her family and people actually played a part in her crippling identity crisis. As she cared for them immensely, she occasionally felt extreme guilt for being drawn to the sea, as lamented in her song "How Far I'll Go"; she believed that if she were to pursue the ocean, she would ultimately disappoint the people she loved. Simultaneously, she felt an obligation towards her ancestors, wanting to reinvigorate their ways of wayfinding as a means to honor them and the legacy they left for her people. These conflicted emotions would ultimately act as Moana's greatest challenge throughout the film.

When it was revealed that she had been chosen by the ocean to restore the legendary heart of Te Fiti, Moana did not put her focus on the potentially devastating outcome of her mission, but the unity between her love for Motunui and her dream of voyaging in the tradition of her great ancestors. Though this would ultimately benefit all parties, this mindset is perhaps Moana's greatest flaw. In being heroic and deathly devoted to her goals, Moana can be selfish in that she is willing to endanger others in order to prove she is capable of confronting her ambitions without fail. Both Tui and Maui confront Moana on this during the film's events, and though she denied both accusations, she knew - deep down - that this was correct. She can also be reckless with herself in this regard, as she drove herself out to sea without proper training in the ways of wayfinding or even sailing. She fears very little, but because of this, she can occasionally bite off more than she can chew. However, these acts are not done with malicious or even notable intent. Moana is extremely sympathetic and caring, which drives her to perform life-threatening stunts for what she genuinely believes to be the greater good.

Even as a child, Moana was a courageous youth who displayed bravery, a longing to leave home and sail beyond the reef to experience adventures. As other children feared Gramma Tala's story of Te Fiti and Maui, Moana was fully invested and excited. However, due to a lack of experience out in the sea, Moana wasn't aware of the dangers that came along with it. For instance, Maui teases Moana during his song "You're Welcome" and, with her transfixed, he shuts her in a cave so he could steal her boat. Throughout her adventure to return the heart of Te Fiti, Moana was dunked, sent flying, or occasionally stumbling as well as slipping on her feet. Like most teenagers, Moana was also wide-eyed and shy, having a tendency to stammer when she speaks, fidget with her hands, flinch when frightened, and stand or stagger in a pigeon-toed stance. Nevertheless, Moana held her own against the dangers of the sea. Although initially thinking the Kakamora are "kind of cute", only for them to immediately attack, Moana was able to board the Kakamora's ship and survive their attacks as well as dodge the darts being shot at her. Moana also had the ocean on her side whenever she needed help, such as when Maui repeatedly flung her overboard, the ocean popped Moana back onto her canoe, dripping wet. Upon entering Lalotai, Moana is attacked by a frog-lizard monster and a sloth monster, where she scream or squirm in panic, having never been so afraid in her life as the monsters attempts to eat her. Moana felt fear and shock as Tamatoa flipped her into the air and clutched her in his pincer, hanging her midair before attempting to eat her. Despite the odds, Moana refused to give up and kept on going with her strength and bravery, though at times she can be reckless, cocky and gets confused easily in her lack of experience. Still, Moana would keep going, asserting her stance and using her wits to find her way out of situations by unorthodox methods.

In contrast to this, Moana grows with failure and responsibility. When the Kakamora try to steal the heart of Te Fiti, Moana fights back, successfully recovering the heart and defeating the pirates. After Maui refuses to assist her in battling Te Kā following a disastrous first encounter on her account, she works up the courage to redeem herself by facing the lava demon alone. She is also empathetic and looks to help herself by helping and understanding others first. This is most notably seen when she puts hours worth of focus on coming to understand Maui and the reasoning behind his own inner demons. In doing so, she was able to exhibit self-loving wisdom (specifically regarding how one should look inside themselves for strength and guidance, and not in someone else). Moana would later use this to encourage herself during her darkest hour.

As she grew with her adventure, Moana discovered more about herself. She came to realize that no one can define who you are, other than yourself; she was neither meant to be devoted solely to the sea or solely to her people, but to herself. As such, she was able to bring her two loves together, ultimately recreating and honoring what came before her: a unity between her people and the sea.

Physical appearance

At 16 years old (19 in the sequel), Moana of Motunui has a slender yet muscular, well-toned build that sets her apart from earlier Disney heroines. She is of average height with a youthful, round face, medium sun-kissed tan skin, large, semicircular dark brown eyes, thick eyebrows and eyelashes, a soft rounded nose, full brownish-pink lips, and thick, waist-length tight wavy black hair with dark brown highlights. She usually wears her hair down, occasionally tying it in a top bun while sailing.

Moana's outfits are all made out of Tapa, Pandanus, leaves, feathers, and other natural resources found on Motunui. For her regular outfit, she wears a tube top made out of red Tapa with a layered style accessorized with seashells along the perimeter. She wears a red sash made from the same material that wraps around her skirt made out of shredded Pandanas and layered Tapa, with a slit for mobility purposes on her journey. She is also barefoot. When leading on Motunui, she wears a lei made out of green leaves and pink flowers. After Gramma Tala's death, Moana dons her blue necklace that carries in it the heart of Te Fiti.

In the very beginning of the film, Moana, being a 2-year-old toddler, wears a traditional Polynesian cloth diaper made from a simple piece of fabric, possibly made from woven coconut or woven plant fibers, that got wrapped around her waist and secured with a knot, decorated with a light-brown color and some orange-colored curves. The rest of the accessories she has include a necklace with shells that is a symbol of her connection to the ocean and a hibiscus flower in her headband that is a symbol of beauty and respect to nature.

Moana Ages Moana as a 2-year-old toddler, a 10-year-old preteen, and a 16-year-old teenager. During a brief dancing scene in "Where You Are", Moana wears a dress similar in style to her regular outfit, this time with a red skirt and a white top adorned with a white Pandanus collar, seashell necklace, and a lei made out of green leaves and white flowers, as well as bracelets and anklets on both hands and feet made out of the same material and encrusted with white seashells. At the beginning of the film, she has a pink flower on her head.

Moana also wears a Samoan-inspired ceremonial dress during the same song with a red Tapa top and skirt adorned with red tassels, a white Pandanus collar, skirt, and belt, red-feathered arm cuffs, and green leaf bracelets, both with white seashells around the edge. The dress is topped off with a traditional Samoan headdress made out of shredded red Pandanus, white feathers, seashells, and other natural items found throughout Motunui.

The final outfit Moana wears in the film is her voyager dress in the film's epilogue. Moana's voyager dress is made out of fresh leaves and plants in contrast to her previous outfits, all made out of dried materials. Moana's top is made out of bright red leaves to symbolize her new role as Chief of Motunui. Her belt is made out of red Tapa with a panel of green leaves cascading down the layered skirt made out of shredded Pandanus. Moana wears a lei made out of red and green leaves and encrusted with white flowers, as well as a leaf cuff on her left arm and on her right ankle.

Overall:

Moana is a spirited, strong-willed, and independent wayfinder who combines deep compassion with fierce determination.

Key Personality TraitsBrave and Daring: She faces rough seas, giant monsters, and self-doubt without backing down from new challenges

Compassionate and Empathetic: She cares deeply for her family, her community, and even comforts the demigod Maui by reminding him that his identity isn't defined by his achievements or the gods

Independent and Stubborn: She charts her own path and refuses to let others—including her father or Maui—dictate her limits or tell her she is just a kid

Resilient: She learns from failure rather than giving up, showing realistic personal growth through effort and perseverance

Rooted in Heritage: Despite her pull toward the open ocean, she carries immense pride in where she comes from and acts out of love for her people