Walt Disney links - First Moana Footage Shown 

Features Home  |  Empire Classic Scene  |  Movie Poster Mashups  |  How Well Do You Know Quizzes  |  Festivals And Seasons

Forum Home  |  Online Feedback  |  Magazine Feedback  |  iPad Feedback  |  Movie Poster Mashups  |  Movie Musings  |  Reviews  |  News  |  Future Films

Podcast RSS Feed  |  Listen on Soundcloud  |  Download from iTunes  |  The Podcast Gallery

Current Issue  |  Subscribe To Empire Magazine  |  Cover Archive  |  Subscriber Services  |  Jobs  |  Digital Edition

About the iPad edition  |  Download from iTunes  |  The U.S. Edition

Marvel Shows Captain America: Civil War Footage

Doctor Strange Concept Art Sizzle Reel Screened

New Drew Struzan Poster For Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Colin Trevorrow Directing Star Wars Episode IX

Jurassic World\'s director tackling another franchise giant

Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One Cast Confirmed

First Look At Alice Through The Looking Glass

New Star Wars Theme Park Lands Planned

Disney is building huge attractions in Orlando and California

Pixar\'s Dia de los Muertos movie has a name and a test reel

First Look At Inside Out Short Riley's First Date

He\'s in negotiations to star with Dwayne Johnson

If you’ve got The Rock – better know these days as Dwayne Johnson – in your film, you’d be crazy not to bring him up on stage during a presentation for it. Moana co-directors Ron Clements and John Musker are not crazy, and did just that, along with some first-look footage from one of Disney Animation’s 2016 releases.

With Johnson drawing one of the biggest (and loudest) reactions on the Friday of this weekend’s D23 convention – plus leading the audience in a Samoan greeting for musicians who would play on stage – Musker, Clements and producer Osnat Shurer brought the first footage from the movie, along with a few new details. 

Moana, which is set at a time when the exploratory voyages of the Pacific Islanders were a thing of the past, follows the brave main character, a young woman who yearns to venture beyond her home. Her father, the chief, doesn’t approve, worrying for his daughter’s safety, but beloved grandmother Tala encourages her to listen to her heart. And on her trip, she encounters Maui (Johnson), a figure from legend, who claims to be a human raised by the gods and capable of great deeds. Along the way, Moana will make a trip to a underworld beneath the ocean and will come face to face with a massive, vengeful land spirit. Also a character in the film? The ocean itself, with the filmmakers debuting a clip that shows Moana as a toddler interacting with the ocean. The water acts like a sweet, Disney-fied version of the tentacle from The Abyss, and there is a lovely moment where it parts for the little girl, 10 Commandments-style and she watches a turtle drift by in a wall of water.

All in all, it looks somewhat impressive, and has been fuelled by long contact with native Samoans and other Pacific Islanders. The film also boasts musical contributions from Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, Grammy-winning composer Mark Mancina (who worked with the directors on The Lion King) and Opetaia Foa’I, founder and lead singer of the world music award-winning band Te Vaka. Moana will be in UK cinemas on December 2, 2016. 

To comment on this, and all articles, register for free or login now.

Meet the many strangely-shaped heads of Her Majesty\'s Government

Fantastic Four Interview: Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Michael B Jordan And Kate Mara

What to expect from the gritty reboot of the Fantastic family

Director Tim Miller guides us through his crazed superhero promo

Black Mass Trailer Breakdown With Director Scott Cooper

Find out what\'s what with Johnny Depp\'s take on Boston Gangster Whitey Bulger

Empire print magazine Delivered to your door – with exclusive subscriber only covers each month! Save money today and

Empire digital magazine Exclusive and enhanced content – get instant access via your iPad or Android device! Save money today and

Print, Digital & Package options available Subscribe today!

Everything you ever wanted to know about filmmaking but were afraid to ask...

With exclusive extras, interactive features, trailers and much more! Download now

© Bauer Consumer Media Ltd  |  Legal Info  |  Editorial Complaints  |  Privacy Policy  |  Bauer Entertainment Network

Bauer Consumer Media Ltd (company number 01176085 and registered address 1 Lincoln Court, Lincoln Road, Peterborough, England PE1 2RF)