Dwayne Johnson starrer 'Moana' trivia: Film was featured in 'Zootopia' as 'Meowana'

Moana is an animated movie that showcases the life story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village. The young girl is chosen by the ocean itself to rejoin a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti. When a scourge strikes the island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a demigod, in the hope of returning the relic to Te Fiti and saving her village. The film features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk. Check out trivia and lesser-known facts about Moana. 

Also Read | Dwayne Johnson's 'Moana' has bagged these awards and nominations; see list

Moana Trivia 

• Talking to an international portal, Dwayne Johnson shared that he believes the voice acting is the most difficult career in acting and is personally annoyed when celebrities are cast in animated films despite voicing their characters badly. 
• As per IMDB reports, Dwayne Johnson repeatedly asked his co-actors if he was really giving a good performance. 
• The movie has Aladdin's reference. The genie's lamp can be seen on Tamatoa's shell. 
• The songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda said the character of Tamatoa the Giant Crab was a tribute to David Bowie. 
• The tattoos on Chief Tui's (Moana's father) abdomen are the same tattoos craved on pro wrestler Peter Fanene Maivia, Dwayne Johnson's maternal grandfather.
• The villager in Moana who recommends cooking Heihei is voiced by Alan Tudyk, who has also provided Heihei's vocal effects. 

Also Read | Noah Centineo cast as Atom Samsher in Dwayne Johnson starrer 'Black Adam'

• In the film, when first Dwayne Johnson aka Maui gets his hook and is trying to shapeshift, he changes into various animals. He also turns into Sven the Reindeer from Frozen (2013).
• Reportedly, director John Musker and Ron Clements immersed themselves in the Polynesian culture, to make the film respectful to Polynesian culture and mythology. 
• Moana is the first Disney film with a largely Polynesian cast: Dwayne Johnson, Auli'i Cravalho, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Oscar Kightley, and Troy Polamalu. 
• Moana was also featured in Zootopia (2016) as a film called "Meowana". 
• This is the fifth consecutive Disney animated feature for Alan Tudyk, after Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014), and Zootopia (2016).
• As per reports, due to the latest practice of theatres having late shows the evening before the official release date, the film was first shown on lead actress Auli'i Cravalho's 16th birthday. 

Also Read | Dwayne Johnson beats CR7 to become highest-paid IG star despite having 40m less followers

Also Read | UFC 251: Dwayne Johnson has some advice for Jorge Masvidal ahead of UFC Fight Island