It Was All Started By a Mouse

“The time of hot chocolaty mornings and toasty marshmallow evenings.”

The Pacific Trust sent representatives to Disney with authentic textile samples that would have been present in ancient Polynesia. Two major materials, tapa and pandanus, are the basis for most costumes in the film.

“Because the materials are natural, they tend to be more structured than a fabric. How they move on people, and how they move when wet is different and it’s important to get those things right. For Moana’s costume I knew she was an adventurer, a voyager, and the costume had to reflect that. I added a slit to the front of her skirt, which ended up working technically as well. We work very closely to the animation department and the simulation team. Whatever outfit she wears needs to be historically correct, it needs to have materials that are accurate to the history, and it has to allow movement.” 

The amazing concept art of Ryan Lang for Moana

“We are The Muses. Goddesses of the arts, and proclaimers of heroes.”

The Muses are presented in Hercules as five goddesses who narrate the movie. Calliope is the Muse of epic poetry, Clio is the Muse of history, Thalia is the Muse of comedy, Terpsichore is the Muse of dance, and Melpomene is the Muse of tragedy. There are actually nine major Greek Muses, and the ones that weren’t included in the film are Erato (the Muse of love poetry), Polyhymnia (the Muse of sacred poetry), Euterpe (the Muse of music and sound), and Urania (the Muse of astronomy).

Songwriter Alan Menken originally wanted The Spice Girls to voice the Muses, but scheduling difficulties prevented the collaboration from happening. Instead, they are voiced by Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, and Vanéese Y. Thomas.