Chapter 10: Mickey, Moana, and the Appropriation Of Indigenous Hawaiian Culture: Hawaiian Holiday (1937),Moana(2016)

This lesson plan compares scenes from two Disney cartoons. Hawaiian Holiday (1937) is a short film in which Mickey and his friends’ vacation in Hawaii (which was at the time a territory of the U.S. and already a popular tourist destination in the 1930s). They engage in activities such as surfing, hula dancing, playing ukuleles and slide guitars, and lounging on the beach. This lesson compares these depictions of Hawaii to those found in clips of Moana (2016). While set on the fictional island of Motunui, Moana depicts cultural traditions the writers based on Polynesian cultures, including Hawaiian cultures. The Moana clip selected for the activity includes the song “There you Are.” It depicts native Hawaiians engaging in daily tasks such as dancing, fishing, and obtaining coconuts for a variety of purposes. Disney consulted with advisors who were natives of the Pacific Islands in an effort to better depict the culture than Disney films had previously, and while there were noted missteps (for example, in the film’s marketing), the efforts resulted in a more realistic depiction of native activities.