Moana praised for honoring Polynesian culture, bombs at box office

Moana producers Yvette Merino and Christina Chen have received roundtable praise for their focus on Samoan culture. The film’s production placed particular emphasis on the traditional Polynesian practice of navigating vast ocean distances using knowledge of the stars, currents, and natural signs.

Moana opened below expectations, earning $43 million domestically and about $95 million worldwide in its debut, falling short of Disney's revised $60 million opening forecast. Its performance was only slightly better than last year's Snow White remake despite benefiting from a more popular franchise and significantly less pre-release controversy. According to Deadline, the film is now projected to lose between $100 million and $125 million, even if it reaches $250 million at the global box office.

Merino said the filmmakers viewed representation as a responsibility, stressing the importance of portraying Pacific communities “in a beautiful way," Pacific reports.

The emphasis on preserving Polynesian traditions in Moana comes as the age-old debates resurface over how culturally significant stories should be adapted. While Disney highlighted the importance of maintaining cultural connections in Moana, some viewers have questioned whether the same standard should apply to European historical and mythological narratives such as The Odyssey.

Critics, including Elon Musk and Matt Walsh faced backlash after objecting to Christopher Nolan’s casting choices in The Odyssey, particularly Lupita Nyong’o’s role as Helen of Troy. While they argued the adaptation moved away from the epic’s Greek origins, opponents accused them of turning their cultural preservation arguments into a debate over race.

Walsh criticized Nolan’s casting decisions on X, arguing that Nyong’o’s casting as Helen of Troy moved away from the character’s traditional depiction. Walsh wrote: “Not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’ But Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave ‘the most beautiful woman’ role to a white woman. Nolan is technically talented but a coward. Too afraid to do anything that even slightly challenges the spirit of the age.”

Musk responded to Walsh’s post with the comment: “True.”

Musk later criticized the upcoming film again, writing on X: “Chris Nolan desecrated Homer and groveled on his knees just to meet the woke rules required to win an Oscar.”

These criticism received wide ranging condemnation from media with The Guardian and Buzzfeed writing critical pieces of the trillionaire's comments.

The debate over Moana and The Odyssey highlights questions about whether Hollywood equally applies cultural preservation standards. While Disney focused on protecting Polynesian traditions, some argue that very similar concerns about preserving Greek mythology and European cultural roots are treated harshly when they clash with modern ideas about representation. All this comes as the Moana struggles in the box office bringing a scant $52 million over its opening weekend, per Kotaku.