Disney's 'Moana' Fat-Shaming: The Rock's Demi-God Maui Criticized for Polynesian Depiction

Although Disney's effort to bring to life their first-ever Polynesian princess, Moana, has been applauded for allowing more diversity to the brand, the movie's already getting a few voices of controversy regarding a main character. The depiction of Maui, the Pacific demi-god voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the film, has been accused as "fat-shaming" by authorities in the Polynesian area.

According to Yahoo News, the appearance of the demi-god in the film has sparked a new debate on the body image of the Polynesian demi-god. The debate was stirred partially by Jenny Salesa, a New Zealand politician, who complained that the depiction of the character was a "negative stereotype" of the people of Polynesian descent.

"The environment our kids grow up in and what they are exposed to have a role to play. Disney movies are very influential on our children," the politician wrote on her Facebook page. "It is great that Moana is the lead. However, it is disappointing that Maui, one of our beloved historical ancestors from hundreds of years ago, who was a very strong man [and] a skilled navigator, is depicted to be so overweight in this kids' movie."

Comments have gone back and forth on the subject, with some agreeing that the depiction is offensive to the people of the Pacific islands, while others say there are people of all sizes and shapes in the region. In the meantime, The Guardian reports that, in fact, World Health Organization data from 2014 points that "nine of the ten most obese nations in the world are Pacific Islands."

On the other hand, Samoan artist Michael Mulipola explained on Twitter that Disney's portrayal of Maui is in fact based on the stereotypical sidekick kind of character, as it's clear from the name of the film that, even if he's the most important role in the trailer, Maui's not the main role in the film, but rather Moana is.

In fact, it seems likely that the reason Maui's more prominent in the trailer is just because he's played by The Rock.

Moana will follow the story of a young teen that goes on a sea adventure with her hero, once-great demi-god Maui. The role of the princess will be played by newcomer Auli'i Cravalho, and so far, besides her and Johnson, other actors confirmed in voice roles include Alan Tudyk and Hamilton Tony nominee Phillipa Soo.

Moana will reach theaters on Nov. 23.