Is Moana A Disney Princess? The Live-Action Actress Weighs In

Moana is a Disney Princess. That’s the official line from Disney at least, but not every fan is in agreement on who should or shouldn’t qualify as a Princess. Like everything else Disney-related, people have strong opinions about which of the ladies should be on the list. So, we decided to talk to an expert: the actress who is actually playing Moana in the new live action adaptation.

During the press junket for Moana, CinemaBlend had the privilege of speaking with Catherine Laga’aia, and we asked her whether she views Moana as a Disney Princess. In return, she gave us a super thoughtful answer that I think encapsulates how the majority of us feel. Here’s a portion of her quote…

I think she kind of falls into that category that Mulan and kind of Pocahontas fall into where it's that warrior… So I would say beyond being a princess, I think you can be kind of be two things at once. So she is that Disney princess, she represents that beautiful femininity and pride and kind of honor that comes with that title as well as being powerful and strong and courageous with the Warrior title.

Laga’aia is right. A lot of fans lump Moana, Mulan and Pocahontas together into almost like a sub-category of Princesses. They technically qualify, but to some, they feel different because they’re more physically involved in the conflicts. I don’t really see how that makes them any less of Princesses though. In fact, I’d argue it’s especially important to categorize them as such because they offer an alternate path that shows younger viewers you can have a wide variety of personality types and life goals and still be a Princess.

The other group of Princesses or non-Princesses that Disney fans argue over includes entirely separate characters like Anna and Elsa from Frozen and Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. They all fit more into the traditional archetype of Princesses, but Disney doesn’t officially include them, allegedly because the company wants to keep them separate for branding reasons. That’s a separate article that could easily be a thousand words, but if nothing else, it’s a good representation of why fans don’t always agree with Disney’s official roster.

Regardless of how you classify her, Moana is back at the movie theater this weekend. The new take on her title film officially hits the movie release schedule today, and it’ll give everyone the chance to relive the magical Polynesian story with non-animated characters. Dwayne Johnson is back as Maui, complete with a gigantic tattoo suit and a ridiculous wig, and Laga’aia is ready to give fans a familiar yet unique take on the Disney Princess herself.

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Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.

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