Disney Cruise Line is famous for its Broadway-style shows, and every ship in the fleet to date includes a beautiful Walt Disney Theater for each vessel’s trio of productions. Most Disney ships have shows that are exclusive to them, and a successful formula has been to feature at least one stage adaptation of an animated classic. Not all of them have been hits, with the Disney Wish’s adaptation of The Little Mermaid counted among the small assortment of misses in the fleet’s history, alongside Hercules: The Muse-ical (1998-2008) and Toy Story: The Musical (2008-2016). Since the Disney Treasure is a Wish-class ship, and since these ships share some of the same creative team, many were worried about how The Tale of Moana would measure up. I’m happy to share that, largely, it’s a smashing success.
A fairly faithful adaptation of the animated hit, The Tale of Moana is brought to life through Gramma Tala as the story’s narrator, who breaks the fourth wall almost immediately. Like The Little Mermaid on the Disney Wish, the show acknowledges that it’s a show, and the visual aesthetic is one that feels hand-crafted by artisans of the cultures depicted in the story. The production begins very organically, with performers in the aisles leading up to the show’s official kickoff, most of whom take on other roles as the story unfolds. However, there are two exceptions to this rule, with the performers who play Moana and Maui holding their debuts until they’re introduced in the story. At various times, the narrative skips sections of the film. Most notably, there aren’t any Kakamora in the show, nor do Pua or HeiHei make any kind of an appearance.
The Tale of Moana incorporates every song from the film, including the numbers in Polynesian languages (“Tulou Tagaloa,” “An Innocent Warrior,” and “Logo Te Pate”), and it makes both “How Far I’ll Go” and its reprise showstopping moments ala Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” (the lighting at the end of both numbers evoke the same feeling of Elphaba’s battle cry). Like Disney Cruise Line’s other stage adaptations of musical films, Moana’s musical performances are lavish spectacles. Perhaps the biggest surprise amongst them is the yassified “Shiny,” thanks to Tamatoa being gender-swapped, transformed into a disco diva comparable to an Oceanic Donna Summer.
This is a movement-heavy show, with the ensemble comprised of some incredible dancers. There are many beautiful interpretive moments, particularly when the troupe links arms and moves in unison to mimic the movement of the ocean waves. One of the biggest dance moments in the show is “You’re Welcome,” with the ensemble becoming Mini Mauis (the demigod’s tattoos) in black outfits that feel like a cross between Bob Fosse and Cirque du Soliel.
Puppetry is incorporated into the show in several ways, starting with a puppet of baby Moana during the show’s prologue. Puppets also allow Maui to shapeshift into a bug and a hawk. Ultimately, there’s just one puppet in the show that is unforgettable – the 13-foot-tall Te Kā, who seems to take up almost the entire stage while giving off a fiery effect through in-puppet lighting and projection mapping. Even more impressive is the way the puppet transforms into Te Fiti. It’s a practical effect, but nonetheless effective, and the media sailing’s preview cruise was buzzing about it long after the show was over.
Projection mapping is used almost throughout the entire show, often limited to the theater’s proscenium but occasionally extending out into the audience, including to send Gramma Tala’s stingray spirit floating around the theater. With regards to the puppetry, there is a sequence that does a disservice to the actual puppets in the show, the faking of a shadow puppet prologue. A sheet is held up, and a white light shines behind it as performers grab shadow puppets and move behind the screen, but the visuals displayed are clearly pre-recorded, coming through a projector in the house. It’s a weird choice in a show full of so much cultural authenticity, from the inclusion of words from Oceanic languages (“ʻIno,” a Hawaiian word for “Wicked”) to a cast that appears to have genealogical connections to the culture. The faking of shadow puppets in this production feels almost as unforgivable as lip-synching would. It seemed out of place.
In addition to projection mapping, The Tale of Moana has a few additional tricks up its sleeves. Disney Cruise Line Guests have come to expect sensory effects in the audience, and this show features two of them. During the descent into Lalotai, fog-filled bubbles float over the audience, creating a really cool effect. And when Te Kā’s volcanic exterior crumbles away to reveal Te Fiti, the Walt Disney Theater scatters confetti flowers over the audience. The theater also boasts an impressive sound system (presumably Dolby Atmos), creating some cool auditory effects, particularly when Moana is shown the cave of her ancestral wayfinders, and she beats a drum that echoes around the auditorium.
Judging the show purely based on its writing, set, and production design, I really only have one major criticism of The Tale of Moana – the addition of a deleted song from the film, “Warrior Face.” It’s sung by Maui as he leads Moana to Tomatoa’s monstrous realm of Lalotai, and diehard Moana fans have no doubt heard Lin-Manuel Miranda’s demo on the deluxe version of the soundtrack. It was a bad song then, and it’s a bad song now. It pulls the audience out of the show for the sake of bragging rights, but it’s completely unnecessary, and the show would be better off without it. Tangled: The Musical aboard the Disney Magic features three original songs by Alan Menken and Glen Slater, all written for the show, and they fit in much better for it. Were this a pre-Broadway trial, “Warrior Face” would get cut again.
Confusingly, the show also features a younger-looking Moana actress between the toddler puppet and the featured performer. Were this Broadway, an actual child would fill this role, but on a cruise contract of adult performers, and with Moana as a character being just 16 years old, the transitional Moana actress, utilized just for a segment of “Where You Are,” leads to confusion when the main Moana actress taps in by the end of the song. It’s an unnecessary moment that takes viewers out of the show, and that’s probably the only other change I would make to the show’s structure.
As a critic, it’s not fair to judge a Disney Cruise Line show purely on its cast since they will be a revolving door of performers who change when their contracts are up. However, by and large, the caliber of talent on board Disney Cruise Line ships is top-notch, often with Broadway credits already on their résumé. But extra effort is usually taken to ensure that a show’s debut cast is the best it can possibly be, as this is usually the performance that is filmed and available to watch in staterooms on performance nights for years to come.
One of the primary roles in the debut cast of The Tale of Moana is grossly miscast – Maui. This particular performer is incredibly talented in other roles on the ship. Maui is meant to be a dominating presence, both physically and egotistically, and this performer couldn’t deliver on either of those character traits. Physically, the casting almost seems cruel, as the ensemble is full of tall, muscular men who all offer an immediate contrast between expectations and reality. The performer could sing (better than Dwayne Johnson), but their natural stage presence doesn’t exude the character’s infallible confidence, nor did they successfully convey that aspect of the character through their acting choices. To be clear, I don’t fault this performer for giving it their all. Not every role is right for every actor. Someone up the chain at Disney Cruise Line Entertainment deserves the flack for this, and when Maui made his debut on stage, you could feel the air get sucked out of the room in the Walt Disney Theater.
Minor criticisms aside, The Tale of Moana is a winner. Aboard the Disney Treasure, the show is joined by this fleet’s welcome show, Seas the Adventure, which also includes Moana (played by the same performer), as well as a clone of the Disney Dream’s stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which is based on the live-action remake. With Moana quickly becoming one of Disney’s most-loved properties, The Tale of Moana is a satisfying first attempt at a stage adaptation, and I doubt it will be the last. While I wouldn’t recommend booking a cruise just for this show alone, those deciding between a 7-night sailing aboard the Disney Treasure vs. Disney Cruise Line’s other vessels may find that The Tale of Moana is reason enough to choose this ship over another.
I give The Tale of Moana 4 out of 5 coconuts.