TattooTribes in Disney Moana 2

The Disney movie Moana 2 has finally hit theaters! Since the production team purchased our Polynesian Tattoo Handbooks back in 2019, we headed to the cinema with a mix of curiosity, excitement, and high expectations.

The real history behind Moana's journey

Just like the original film, there is some solid historical background woven into the script. The narrative references a real-world maritime mystery: a thousand-year halt in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean due to Maui stealing a sacred stone.

While the stone itself is fictional, it is historically true that Pacific exploration stopped for nearly a millennium. This pause happened right when ancient navigators reached the limits of Western Polynesia (the so-called continental Polynesia), where islands are separated by weeks of open sea.

The sailing canoes of that era simply weren't ready to face months-long voyages on an ocean that is often "Pacific" only by name. It took almost one thousand years to develop the massive, double-hulled canoes capable of enduring oceanic storms while carrying whole families, livestock, and supplies. Turning this historical fact into an epic fantasy plot is brilliant copywriting, and the movie handles it beautifully.

Samoan, Marquesan, and Maori tattoo elements

From an artistic standpoint, the character iconography is fascinating. Moana's people wear traditional Samoan tattoos, which makes perfect sense historically since Samoa was among the last archipelagos settled before the great pause.

On the other hand, the demigod Maui features a blend of Marquesan iconography, Maori motifs, and Hawaiian elements. Because these cultures developed after the historical pause, it would technically be an anachronism for regular humans—but since Maui is a demigod who received his markings straight from the divinities, it works perfectly without hurting the story.

The sequel's plot revolves around finding a lost island called Motufetū (literally Star Island), where all ocean tribes were once connected. This is a clear nod to Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland in Central Polynesia from which voyagers eventually sailed north to Hawaii, and south to New Zealand and Rapa Nui.

How Disney used our 2008 tattoo blueprint

We genuinely enjoyed the film, but we got an extra treat at the end: one of our custom designs from 2008 was used as the blueprint to create the manta ray artwork representing Moana's grandmother, Tala, on a traditional siapo cloth.

Seeing our studio's work up on the big screen is an incredible milestone for the Tribe. Stay tuned, because the Moana saga is far from over!