The little Mermaid in the flesh arrives in theaters on May 24, in the meantime, however, a new heroine has been announced, ferried from animation to live action version. This is Vaiana (Moana in the original) protagonist of Oceaniathe Disney cartoon by John Musker And Ron Clements (who themselves had already signed the animated little mermaid) which successfully hit theaters in 2016. The announcement came directly from Dwayne Johnsonwho in the cartoon gave the voice to Maui and will interpret the character in the flesh and blood version.
“We humbly announce that we are bringing a beautiful story to the big screen in a live action version – wrote Johnson on social media – Maui changed my life (how I miss you grandpa). I am honored to collaborate with Disney studios to tell our story through the realm of music and dance, which is at the heart of our identity as a Polynesian people”.
Musker & Clements Film Lesson, From ‘The Little Mermaid’ to ‘Oceania’
Moanathe 2016 cartoon released in Italy with the title Oceania, was a smash hit for Disney and grossed over $680 million at the box office. She tells Vaiana that she is not a princess, she herself explains it, but a Polynesian teenager, daughter of the head of her village. She lives on the island of Motonui, in French Polynesia, in a distant time when the inhabitants as expert navigators had mysteriously abandoned any desire for exploration. Vaiana is destined to take her father’s place at the helm of her people.
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Like all teenagers, Vaiana is torn between the will to follow her dreams and the sense of responsibility that her parents instill in her, between the desire to go and explore the ocean and her duty to stay and help her people, the whose island seems to be depleting day by day, the coconuts affected by the disease, the fish increasingly scarce. A somewhat shamanic grandmother will help her make the right decision and push her to go on a great adventure. And if there is a man alongside Vaiana across the ocean, the character is very far from any romantic model. It is the demigod Maui, son of humans whom the gods saved by making him a shape-shifting being (he can transform himself into a bird, fish or insect), in the past he gave the people of Vaiana fire, but then fell into disgrace for stealing from goddess Te Fiti, that is the mother island, its heart. Today he is a likeable scoundrel, without courage and full of pomposity, to whom Vaiana, with his generosity and tenacity, will give a second chance.
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The new film will be produced by Johnson, Danny Garcia And Hiram Garcia through their Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn through Flynn Picture Co. Executive producers include Auli’i Cravalhothe actress who voiced Moana in the original film, and Scott Sheldon by Flynn Picture Co. They will also participate in the production Jared Bush and the Samoan proudwoman Dana Ledoux Miller.
