Fishermen are known to brag about the size of the fish they catch and may have a trophy fish “mounted” and displayed in a man-cave ( Dundes 1997). Maui’s fishhook, made out of bone (connoting the term boner), allows him to shapeshift and is designed to impale his prey, making him a fisherman of sorts. Biblically (according to Numbers 17:8), a rod’s ability to bear ripe almonds which are seeds (not nuts), is connected to the ancient Greco-Roman association of the juice of almonds with semen ( Tresidder 2012). Maui’s fishhook is designed to catch fish, and thus is a form of fishing rod, a tool that is a known phallic symbol ( Dundes 1997). Maui’s invasion prompts her to crush him with obsidian teeth lining her vagina, an object lesson discouraging rape ( Craig 1989 Roheim 1940). Disney’s story is a twist on traditional lore in which Maui shapeshifts into a worm and then enters the toothed vagina of Hine-nui-te-pō. Te Fiti’s procreative “heart” inextricably links sex with love for women, contrasting with Maui’s aggressive violation of Te Fiti’s body.
Soon thereafter, he wriggles through a slit (1:53–55) to enter Te Fiti’s dark cave (symbolic of a vagina ( Somerville 1922)), and after returning to his human form, he uses his fishhook to pry out her “heart” which holds the power of creation and at times looks remarkably like an egg (see, e.g., 2:06–09 3:12). To steal the “heart” of Te Fiti, Maui uses his magical fishhook to shapeshift, first transforming into his favorite non-human form as a hawk: a raptor (which connotes violence given its etymology from the Latin word rapere, meaning rape). Another principal character, the antagonist, Mother Island (a Mother Earth equivalent), also known both as Te Fiti and Te Kā, raises concerns about portrayals of females she wreaks destruction when angry, misusing her power, until Moana convinces her to get in touch with her “true” self. Yet largely absent from discussions of the film to date are ways in which Moana’s companion Maui perpetuates conventional phallocentricism, contributing to the “boy code” which promotes a mask of masculinity ( Pollack 1999) that also encourages rigidity in gender performances and identities commonly found in Disney movies ( Spencer 2014). Disney’s Moana (2016) achieved substantial box office success, earning $643 million worldwide by the end of April 2017 ( Box Office Mojo 2017), in part due to having two protagonists: a female, Moana, and a male, Maui. 2016 Dundes and Streiff 2016), Disney’s portrayal of manhood also merits analysis. Although academic critiques of Disney’s princess films tend to explore the role of princess exemplars for girls (e.g., Coyne et al. Stereotypical gender tropes that also include female abuse of power and a narrow conception of masculinity merit analysis in order to further progress in recognizing and addressing patterns of gender hegemony in popular Disney films.ĭespite what is arguably progress in the princess genre due to Moana’s adventurous spirit, the challenges she faces derive from a common coming-of-age plot: the need to prove to her overprotective father that she can be independent (playing to an Electral theme common in Disney features). The association of youthful, fertile females with good and witch-like infertile females with evil implies that women’s worth and well-being are dependent upon their procreative function.
At the end, Moana successfully urges Te Kā to get in touch with her true self, a brave but simple act that is sufficient to bring back Te Fiti, a passive, smiling green goddess.
The repercussions of this act are the basis of the plot: the Mother Island abandons her form as a nurturing, youthful female (Te Fiti) focused on creation to become a vengeful lava monster (Te Kā). Maui violates the Mother Island, first by entering her cave and then by using his fishhook to rob her of her fertility.
Maui’s struggles with shapeshifting also reflect male anxieties about performing masculinity. Moana’s partner in her adventures, Maui, is overtly hypermasculine, a trait epitomized by a phallic fishhook that is critical to his identity. The movie contains the usual Electral undercurrent, with Moana seeking to prove her independence to her overprotective father. Moana (2016) continues a tradition of Disney princess movies that perpetuate gender stereotypes.
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