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Moana was a huge hit when it made its theatrical debut in 2016, but now the Disney princess who stars in the film is gaining a new title: “Queen of the Sea”!
Not only is the new live-action adaptation of Moana expected to outpace The Little Mermaid (even though the new version of that fairy tale is meant to add more substance to Ariel’s motivations), but now Moana herself is being compared to Ariel with a surprising result!
Maui, Moana, HeiHei the chicken, and Pua the pig / Credit: Disney
Memes, Meet Moana
Because the new Journey of Water ride is getting closer to its debut and several bombshells about the live-action Moana movie have recently been dropped, some hilarious Moana memes have started resurfacing from the depths of the Internet archives.
Some of these memes have been relatable, intriguing, or downright laugh-out-loud-worthy — but one meme sparked a strong debate!
Photo Credits: u/ghhas_ / Disney (right)
“Ariel Left Her Family For [Expletive]”
“Who’s the real queen of the sea?” one Disney fan put forth in the meme that can be seen here, jokingly adding “let’s argue!”
One Moana fan ardently defended the Disney princess, declaring succinctly that “Moana left her family to save her village and the ocean,” but that “Ariel left her family for”… an inappropriate word representing her male love interest Prince Eric.
Halle Bailey as Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid.’ Credit: Choovie Group, Flickr
Does Ariel Deserve This Backlash?
The new Ariel is meant to be more independent and less focused on finding a man, according to actress Halle Bailey, but the original Ariel from the 1989 animated Disney movie certainly did make Prince Eric her main focus (even though the song “Part of Your World” did mention some other aspects of life on land that Ariel was interested in experiencing).
However, Moana’s reasons for leaving Motonui to “restore the heart of Te Fiti” and save the ocean — not to mention her home — certainly seem more urgent! “Don’t ever disrespect Moana of Motonui,” the Disney fan who praised Moana wrote as they cut off the debate.
Do you agree that Moana’s motives seem more legitimate than Ariel’s motives, even if the new Ariel’s motives were not quite as crude as the motivation mentioned in the meme shared by Cheezburger.com?
