“See the light where the sky meets the sea/ It calls me/ No one knows how far it goes"
Moana struggles between Fe (extraverted feeling) and Ni (introverted intuition) through much of the fist part of her adventure: on one hand, she want very much to become a good leader, please her father and others, and be strongly a member of her people’s society; on the other, she longs to follow her internal dream, her seemingly unexplainable instinct to connect with the ocean, and her longing for something beyond what is right around her. Moana’s dominant Fe is also clear in the ways she persuades Maui to work with her, by quickly recognizing his desires and motivations and changing her tone of persuasion to best reach him. Her Se (extraverted sensing) is shown in her adventurous spirit, but that it is a lower function is also clear at the times she seems a bit more out of touch with her physical environment.
“Do you know who Maui is? The greatest demigod that ever lived, who stopped the sun, who pulled up islands out of the sea, and battled monsters.”
For the demigod Maui, present experience is the first focus of life. Maui not only clearly lives for adventures of the moment and values sensory-focused conquests; this is also shown through the subjects of the stories he tells. Maui’s dominant function is Se (extraverted sensing), which is why he generally focuses more on the present than the past or future. He is also quite motivated by his Fe. Maui tried to find acceptance and appreciation from the people by doing incredible things for them, and the very thought of being honored by them as a hero completely changes his thinking and motivates him greatly.
“I'm the village crazy lady. That's my job.”
Gramma Tala is a strongly intuitive type. More than being in tune with surroundings, she always seems to be in touch with another realm and with emotional or spiritual connections, which also suggests Fi (introverted feeling). She is always aware of the non-present possibilities, and she is quick to make connections between the meaningful stories and past of her people (Si) and the events of the future to unfold. Gramma Tala guides others, but not in a direct, Fe-oriented way; instead, her messages come across more indirectly much of the time as she follows her spirit in a meaningful and playful way.
“You will do great things, but first you must learn where you are meant to be.”
Tui’s dominant Te (extraverted thinking) makes him a responsible and attentive leader. With Si, he has always followed the ways of his people with their ocean adventures enthusiastically. But after things took a turn for the worse, there was no going back when he had made the decision to keep everyone on the land. The strong way in which past experiences affect Tui is clear in the way he tries to keep his daughter safe, as is his Te: when she wants to go past the reef, the idea immediately brings back his experience, and in order to keep her safe, he tries to externally organize what she can do (rather than explaining the emotional past experience to persuade her as an Fe dominant type might do).
“Sometimes who we wish we were, what we wish we could do, is just not meant to be.”
Sina is a warm and supportive mother to Moana. She helps convey the emotional reasons behind Tui’s limiting of Moana’s freedom to explore the ocean farther than the reef. Sina is soft-spoken but has strong Fe, and she understands the motivations of all sides of a situation.
“Are you just trying to get me to talk about myself? Because if you are... I will gladly do so.”
Tomatoa is all about the sensory world (and himself, but he’s no the most healthy ESTP!). This monster dedicates his life to filling is world with shiny things. And nothing seems to delight him more, besides his collection, than telling anyone who cares to listen everything about himself.
Te Fiti is happy when she is giving her all to the world, and when this is the case, she is extremely peaceful, quiet, and caring. When the heart is taken from her, the rage that can come with inferior Se takes over and helps produce the Te Ka side of her personality.
