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Official Moana Merchandise!

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There are plenty of people that are, many Native/Polynesian/Pacific Islnder.
This Huff Post article (dated three hours ago) sums it up well.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/disney-maui-costume-brownface_us_57e0c4cde4b08cb14097b892

Brown or black face, cultural apportions, are never "just a costume". I'm Native, with indigenous tattoos. That are directly linked to my people, so yes I find this very troubling. Those items should have never made it past research and design.
 
The thing though is that the tattoos on Maui aren't "real" Polynesian tattoos. They were made by the creative team at Disney. The designs might be somewhat inspired by those designs but for the most part they are custom made. They are 2D animated drawings that will move on Maui throughout the film, adding to the whole mythical demigod persona. If the tattoos were actual tattoos taken directly from that culture, then I would understand the outcry more, but they aren't. Disney is trying really hard to be as diverse and inclusive as possible with this film, and as usual not everyone is going to be pleased with the results.

I am someone who tries to be as open minded and understanding as possible when it comes to these kinds of things, but this one has me mostly puzzled. Maui is clearly going to be one of the most popular things about the movie, and kids are going to want to dress up as him for Halloween and just for fun. Is there going to be this kind of negative reaction every time a child dresses up as the character, considering that those tattoos are a significant part of his character? I just find that idea depressing. :(

I'm sorry if that upsets anyone here. Its not my intention, as I think healthy and normal discussions on these kinds of things are important.
 
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ON A HAPPIER NOTE, I am hoping to see the Moana singing doll in most stores by the end of the month. I can't decide if I wanna spend all the money on the singing doll or on just the classic doll. The accessories like the necklace are making me lean towards the singing doll. Which would you all personally pick?
 
Um, BOTH?!! Lol I want all the dolls from this movie, which is a first for me with animated movies.

I agree with you about the fake tattoos that Disney designed. It's sad people can take a family movie meant to shed light on a culture and diversify the universe only to have people associate their efforts with genocide. Egads!
 
Ha! Well that works too! You could have one in the standard outfit and the other in the fancier outfit that comes with the singing doll. Personally though I will only be purchasing one despite my excitement for the film, so I have some decisions to make. Hopefully the singing doll is at my store whenever I go to get the Alice designer set so I can see them both in person and decide from there.

And it is depressing, but it is somewhat expected by this point. They aren't going to please everyone, but Disney seems to be excelling at the diversity aspects of the film virtually everywhere else, and I personally cannot wait for the film. I always love it when we get films that don't focus on European cultures and princesses (though those are great too) as they have been done so much by this point.
 
Usually my cultural sensitivity radar is pretty sensitive, but it didn't pick up on this one, I don't see the problem as one inherent in wearing tattoos (e.g., tattoo sleeve shirts) so it wasn't something that I picked up myself as similar to blackface or something.

However, I'm not Pacific Islander, and I find it's always better to defer to the group involved regarding whether something is offensive or not (e.g., I am a woman and I really get my back up when a man tries to tell me what is or isn't sexist against women. If you haven't lived all your life as a woman, maybe you're not the expert on it).

If a large group of Pacific Islanders feel this is offensive, then, from my perspective, that's proof that it is offensive. I am still not totally sure why, but I don't need to be sure why to know that it is (the relevant group is the expert, not me), so good for Disney for pulling it, I would have done the same.
 
I think that's a fair argument. However, I would also like to point out that while the article specifically pointed out pacific islanders that were offended, its entirely possible that this is a small but perhaps loud group of people that are offended by the costume. That doesn't mean that their voices don't matter of course, but I don't think twitter and some tweets should ever speak for an entire group of people, especially considering all the people that don't have internet access (or at least don't use social media). I also noticed that a ton of non-Pacific Islanders seemed to be the ones doing the majority of the complaints (though I could be wrong as that is just based on what I seen of the tweets). It just kind of seemed like a knee jerk reaction to the costume. It wouldn't surprise me if there were some people who immediately seen the costume and put it down without doing any research into it because they only seen the skin color and the tattoo designs and assumed it was cultural appropriation, despite things like how the tattoos aren't actually real.

But you do still bring up a fair point. Not to mention that a costume that lets you "wear Maui's skin" sure sounds off when you say it out loud. Disney clearly want's to get things right with this movie both in terms of diversity and culture, so I would say that its good that they are at least listening to complaints. I hope Disney at the very least finds some kind of way to make a Maui costume for children that pleases everyone, as kids should be allowed to dress up as this character without so much negativity surrounding it.
 
Even if the tattoos are fake, there may still be issues and have been. When in doubt defer to the folks that have spoken up. Am glad Disney did the right thing.

Anyone know when the Moana LE doll will be released? And if she will be pre-sale or for sale day of release? I'd like to try for her, it may be one I want to show up at the store. Just because I've never done that before.
 
I think we will hear about her release by the end of October. That's what people have been saying on the different tumblr pages.
 
Runswthwolves said:
Even if the tattoos are fake, there may still be issues and have been. When in doubt defer to the folks that have spoken up. Am glad Disney did the right thing.

Anyone know when the Moana LE doll will be released? And if she will be pre-sale or for sale day of release? I'd like to try for her, it may be one I want to show up at the store. Just because I've never done that before.
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Going by past "new movie" dolls, she probably won't have a pre-order. She will probably be on a first come first serve basis like Merida, Cinderella, and the first Frozen dolls. As for her release date, she will either release the week of the movie's release or a week in advance. The Snow Queen Elsa and Coronation Anna dolls were released on the 20th of September while the movie came out on the 27th, both of which were Wednesdays similar to Moana's situation, so Disney might release Moana on the 16th seeing her movie comes out on the 23rd.

I REALLY hope the rumor of pictures being revealed at the end of October/early November turn out to be true (probably will be seeing they always reveal these things weeks in advance).
 
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I'm a little on the fence about this one and I don't usually offer my opinion in these type of situations. I can absolutely see why its offensive to some people but I feel like most people are arguing about this as if the costume was made with white children in mind. I can't help thinking about Polynesian children who see this movie and identify with the culture who look up to Maui and want to dress up and be like him. I don't know. Just something I've been thinking about...
 
I think the designers had costumes like the Incredible Hulk / Hulk in mind. It wasn't creepy for kids to dress up in his "skin". And he's as cartoony as Maui. Maybe after the movie is released they'll revisit this based on demand.

On the bright side, tomorrow is the day the singing doll is supposed to be released. My store has them in stock, they're just waiting for the go ahead from head office. I can't believe how excited I am for this movie. I normally don't collect OE movie merch, especially from animated movies, but the previews already got me falling in love. And the two pack of Pua and Heihei should be out next week. I'm in Canada. Maybe Americans already have these things!
 
Quasimodo said:
I think the designers had costumes like the Incredible Hulk / Hulk in mind. It wasn't creepy for kids to dress up in his "skin".
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I see where you are coming from, but there are no large green skinned superheroes in real life. Native/Polynesian/Pacific Islander/Maori people are real, and vastly under-represented world wide. Real people with real cultures with real significance to their people. Throwing things like this around like they're nothing can be a really insensitive thing to do.
 
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Quasimodo said:
I think the designers had costumes like the Incredible Hulk / Hulk in mind. It wasn't creepy for kids to dress up in his "skin". And he's as cartoony as Maui. Maybe after the movie is released they'll revisit this based on demand.

On the bright side, tomorrow is the day the singing doll is supposed to be released. My store has them in stock, they're just waiting for the go ahead from head office. I can't believe how excited I am for this movie. I normally don't collect OE movie merch, especially from animated movies, but the previews already got me falling in love. And the two pack of Pua and Heihei should be out next week. I'm in Canada. Maybe Americans already have these things!
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SO excited! Thanks for letting us know! I am usually afraid of buying merch for new movies as well, as there is always this chance that I won't walk out of the theater satisfied. Even so, the merchandise so far has been beautiful and I really want to buy several items. I can't wait to go to my store and see everything!
 
quicksilver493 said:
Throwing things like this around like they're nothing can be a really insensitive thing to do.
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Or maybe some are just hyper-sensitive? Because, I repeat, it's just a costume. Based on a cartoon. That was meant to give representation where representation was lacking. However, calling something "brownface" when "blackface" is an actual thing that actually occurred is also insensitive. That's as if to say this movie is intentionally being racist the way "blackface" was. Not that the brownface thing is directed at you, just the sensitivity issue. It goes both ways. People can't undermine blackface by saying this is the same thing. It's. So. Very. NOT
 
Quasimodo said:
Or maybe some are just hyper-sensitive? Because, I repeat, it's just a costume. Based on a cartoon. That was meant to give representation where representation was lacking. However, calling something "brownface" when "blackface" is an actual thing that actually occurred is also insensitive. That's as if to say this movie is intentionally being racist the way "blackface" was. Not that the brownface thing is directed at you, just the sensitivity issue. It goes both ways. People can't undermine blackface by saying this is the same thing. It's. So. Very. NOT
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Oh, no, I totally agree with you! Things like that can lead into much nastier things like "blackface". It's a line people cross very day, and one I'd personally rather not go near.
 
If you can't decide which Moana doll to buy based on her outfit; in the right corner of the instagram post, you can see her classic outfit is included with the signing doll. With all the great accessories, I am definitely in favor of getting the singing doll. :)
 
Amarian said:
If you can't decide which Moana doll to buy based on her outfit; in the right corner of the instagram post, you can see her classic outfit is included with the signing doll. With all the great accessories, I am definitely in favor of getting the singing doll. :)
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This is very true! And I love that she comes with Hei Hei and Pua. It's just that the standard "classic" Moana is the cheaper option. To me though the main selling point of the singing set is the necklace. I dunno why, but I have always been a sucker for replica items. Disney replicas tend to be even harder to come by without some kind of stupid ludicrous price tag being attached, so this certainly appeals to me. The necklace is probably small to fit the size of a little girls neck, but I will totally use some new longer string just so I can wear it proudly lol!
 
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The singing doll is online now! Expensive (it'll probably be $50+ CDN), but I'm definitely getting one! (X)

moanasingdoll.jpg



They've also added a singing necklace! You open the shell and press the stone inside. And it's only $15! (X)

moananecklace.jpg


Both play "How Far I'll Go"
 
It's $49.95 in Canada! I asked a CM yesterday. Hm, I wonder what the packaging is like for that necklace. If it's in a nice display box, I might be tempted. I have to be selective, though. My Moana shelf is only 45"...
 
Awesome, thanks! I'm going to the DS next weekend, hopefully they have most of the Moana stuff. I feel your pain! Virtually no space for anything Moana atm, but I'm so in love with the movie already! As much as it pains me, I'm thinking about moving my Brother Bear collection to a smaller shelf (I love how its displayed right now, but it takes up a good chunk of space and is not likely to be added to.)

This is the packaging... looks like it's just on a card the way the princess costume necklaces are:

moananecklace2.jpg
 
$40 is a better price than the Canadian prices, but man that is still quite a bit of money for me. I was praying that it would be around $30, but I should have known better lol. Still gonna have to see them in person to decide what I wanna do. I also like the necklace with the singing doll more than the separate one. The separate one works better for roleplaying and costumes, while the one with the doll looks like it could be worn for everyday practical use.

If that does indeed end up being the LE outfit, I wonder if they will include the headress as well? Man I just wanna see pictures of this thing already!
 
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I saw the singing doll in stores today and, while I love it and plan to have both in my collection, IF I were to choose one, it would be the classic doll (which I already have). I like the details of the classic doll's outfit (it's simplified quite a bit in the deluxe set) and she's more iconic in that outfit, and I love her pose, the way she's holding the oar. Oh, and I like the price!

I'm not really understanding yet why Heihei looks so sinister in the deluxe set. He looks evil on the back art, too, so it's not a manufacturing flaw. I'm sure I need to see the movie to understand why he doesn't look as "dumb" as he usually does. So, yeah, love them both. Want them both. Would choose classic over singing if I had to.

I also hope her LE comes in the classic outfit. I don't want her to be holding her headdress. I'd rather she hold her oar. Or... better yet, I'd rather she wear a beautiful gown we haven't seen in clips yet. She's a gorgeous doll. I can't wait to see her LE!
 
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