Moana v. Lion King

By Liana

While comparing, Moana and The Lion King, I noticed a few similarities. One being the cultural aspect of both films as well as the rebellious children and the “set you straight” speeches from both fathers’ from both films. Another similarity I noticed was the connections between the characters from both films. There is the main character, Moana from the film Moana and Simba from The Lion King. Both characters have their “sidekicks” and their families.

Both of these films have a very strong cultural aspect that not many people pick up on. In The Lion King, the movies begins with the ceremonial anointment of Simba, which is introducing a new King. In Moana, there is the scene of the stack of stones placed by the village’s previous Chiefs’. There is also the ceremonial headdress, giving Moana the authority to be Chief of her village on the island of Motunui. Another similarity between the two films are the rebellious children. Simba goes against his father, Mufasa, and goes to the shadow place, which Mufasa strictly forbid. In Moana, her father, Chief Tui, has told her since she was a yougn child, she cannot go out on the ocean. Ever. One day, with her burst of singing and confidence, Moana takes a canoe and goes out on the ocean alone. Yet another similarity, would be how Mufasa gives Simba the speech: “everything the light touches is your kingdom”, in Moana, Chief Tui’s speech to Moana is about how she should know her role and learn to accept it.

So many characters in both Moana and The Lion King tie into each other. For instance, Simba’s “sidekicks” could be considered Timone and Pumba. However, in Moana,her “sidekicks” are recognized as Hei Hei and Pua. Later on in The Lion King, the Hyenas’ come into play. In Moana, the Hyenas’ are portrayed as the Kakamora, pirates visualized as killer coconuts. Personally, I have made a connection between Zazu, Simba’s “protector”, and Gramma Tala, Moana’s grandmother. Although Zazu never dies, when Moana’s grandmother dies, her spirit lives on as a manta ray that follows Moana on her journey across the ocean. Simba lost his father and continued to see him in the clouds, giving him advice. After Gramma Tala passed away, Moana saw her spirit as the manta ray but also as a ghost who appeared on her canoe when was ready to just give up on her journey.

Hopefully, you can see the connection between the two Disney films: The Lion King and Moana. After briefly going over the similarities in characters and also the similarities on the visualization of cultural aspects, the two movies really have a lot in common. Both films also go from young, to about ten years old, to teenagers who went off and had an adventure on their own.