Was Disney Justified In Creating The Polynesian Culture

Disney was justified in creating the Moana film and was not culturally insensitive to the Polynesian people because Disney worked very hard (for five years!) to learn about the Polynesian culture, they hired Polynesian songwriters to make the music sound authentic, and they created beautiful settings and characters that accurately represent Polynesian culture.

To begin, Disney paid much attention to detail while making this film. They wanted to make sure that they represented the wonderful Polynesian culture correctly on screen. In Article 1, this quote states, "Filmmakers Ron Clements and John Musker made sure that everything in their new film, 'Moana,' was as perfect as possible." This quote shows that the directors paid attention to detail

They made sure to hire Hawaiian and Polynesian songwriters to make the music authentic and true. This quote from Article 1 states, "[Lin-Manuel] Miranda worked with Hawaiian songwriter and musician Opetaia Foa’i, so the music would sound authentic." In this quote, it is shown that Disney does not just see this movie's soundtrack as a money maker; they want it to be a legitimate representation of the Polynesian sound and music. In fact, it seems as if this movie and soundtrack can be a great tool to learn more about ancient Polynesian culture. In Article 3, there is another quote that shows the authenticity and intricacy of the music incorporated in this film. The quote states,"The music's catchiness is partly owed to 'Hamilton' star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and composed the music alongside Samoan musician Opetaia Foa'i and Disney veteran Mark Mancina ('The Lion King' and 'Tarzan')." This quote shows that Disney wanted the music to sound very authentic...and very good. First of all, they hired an authentic Polynesian songwriter to ensure the songs were beautiful and had the correct instruments. They also hired Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda, a lyrical genius, to write the lyrics to all of the songs. Finally, they hired Disney legend Mark Mancina who is responsible for some of the best classic Disney songs, to ensure that all of the music in the movie would give off the magical Disney