Post #703725 by creativenative on Sat, Jan 4, 2014 2:14 AM

Great report MaukaHale. Big Bro. is right, you can not please everyone. Disney, at these PC times, will do its best. I think they were overly politically correct with their new Aulani Resort in Hawaii. There are hardly any tie-ins to a great Disney connection to Hawaii and the South Seas. Yes a mouse dancing the hula or an alien surfing the Kaua'i waves seems awkward for some but they were well done. Proper homework and effort is all one can ask for. Like, as we know fluorescent painted tikis or mixing the limbo bar in a luau drives me, as a native scholar on the this subject, nuts, so does certain movies but not all. Again, for me, it's the effort and sensitivity. Some producer/director/writers don't give a rat's okole to the cultural material but are guided by the all mighty buck. And it shows in their finished products. This is how I rate South Seas movies. While's Michener's Hawaii is my favorite some of my fellow indigenous colleagues disagree with me. While I love Michener, considering he is writing from an Orientalist or "outsider" point of view, he had done his homework. Funny though, my biggest problem with one of his films (and as also mentioned in this thread)was the "Hollywood" mixed "Polynesian/Melanesian" natives of Bali Hai in "South Pacific". Yes, there are, sort of Polynesians in the movie, yet only as background. Thank you Big Bro for pointing out the fact that Bloody Mary and her daughter Liat are not even "Nesians" in the film, like everyone else thinks they are. The customs, costumes and culture of the fictitious isle of Bali Hai were very confusing. But I blame not Michener, the writer, but the Art Director (now Production Designer) and the Director who approved it. Maybe that is why you didn't recognize any Polynesians in the film Big Bro. :). Bottom line, I think Disney will make us all proud in "Moana", indigenous or not. The only hairly part is the portrayal of the Polynesian demi gods. Giving them the proper names and their correct backgrounds are a good start and it can be culturally edifying for all as well.

I think the working title of "Moana" was "Tiki" a couple of years ago when Disney put together a couple of writers for the project but like Cameron Crowe's just finished shooting, "Dark Tiki" the tile will change because of politically correctness. We all must remember that this is NOT a bad thing because "truly living Tiki" is buying "true to the culture" tiki items or watching and recognizing correct Oceanic representations on the big and small screen.

Made some corrections. Got to stop writing stuff at 2:00 in the morning. :)

Tiki Movies & Tiki TV @ southseascinema.org

[ Edited by: creativenative 2014-01-04 13:25 ]

[ Edited by: creativenative 2014-01-04 13:27 ]