History Characters / Moana

* BreakThemByTalking: The bridge between the second and third choruses in "Shiny" has him glowing in the dark and singing to Maui about Maui's dark and troubled past, with the purpose of psychologically breaking down Maui. [[note]]-- When Tamatoa sings about it and reveals the relevant tattoo on Maui's back, that makes Moana realize that Maui was abandoned by his parents --[[/note]]

* QuizzicalTilt: The ocean itself does this to demonstrate its sapiency, tilting a wave in a head-like manner at a young Moana when she encounters it.

* ResurrectiveImmortality: She plays with the manta rays in the water and declares, "when I die, I will come back as one of these... or else I've chosen the wrong tattoo." She didn't choose the wrong tattoo, as her spirit becomes a manta ray and at end of the movie she's shown to have reincarnated as a flesh-and-blood ray bearing the markings of her tattoo.

* TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson: Since Tamatoa is a supernatural entity, his scenes are filled with conspicuous pop-culture anachronisms that would look weird coming from a normal human (he breaks the fourth wall, mentions things like the VaudevilleHook, pretends to use Moana as a microphone, and alludes to ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid.'')

* PrincessProtagonist: Moana is part of the official Disney Princess line. It's an unusual example in that she's technically not a princess, as she points out. Her community doesn't have a monarchy, but she is the daughter of the village chief and is expected to take on leadership roles. She also fits some PrincessClassic tropes, especially Disney Princess ones, as Maui points out.

* AirGuitar: A variation, he holds Maui up with his hook and hits him as he's playing guitar at one point during "Shiny". Similarly, he toys with Moana by singing into the top of her head like a microphone - even turning away to catch his breath for the next line.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: His obsession with collecting glittery stuff comes across as ridiculous, and some of his initial lines to Moana are funny. But he's very evil and potent, as seen when he beats the crap out of Maui. Even more disturbing considering that Maui, Hook malfunctioning or not, is still a demi-god with super(natural)-strength, but even that is no match for Tamatoa.

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: Moana distracts him by making a plain barnacle look like the Heart of Te Fiti. As he’s explaining what she’s done, he immediately realizes she and Maui are escaping.

* BareMidriffsAreFeminine: She shows some skin between her top and her skirt, but the skirt is high-waisted enough to cover her navel. She's a teenage female protagonist who, while courageous and can put up a fight, is also [[AllLovingHero compassionate]] and caring.

* BareYourMidriff: Sort of. She shows some skin between her top and her skirt, but the skirt is high-waisted enough to cover her navel.

* AgentPeacock: He is vain, shallow, and campy with effeminate mannerisms and a voice like Music/DavidBowie. He's also very cruel and more than capable of the beating the out-of-practice Maui into the ground and comes alarmingly close to eating both of our heroes.

* FatalFlaw: Vanity. Even when he suspects Moana is just trying to get him to talk about himself he still allows himself to be distracted and gladly indulges her in a talk about his greatness... in song form no less.

* OhCrap: When he first sees Maui wielding the fish hook, his initial reaction is to freeze in terrified anticipation of the beat down he's expecting. But he is quick to regain his composure when he sees that Maui's having a ShapeshiftingFailure.

* ShoutOut: His song, "Shiny", is a tribute to David Bowie's Glam Rock era, right down to his speech patterns and mannerisms.
* ShownTheirWork: Coconut crabs -- which Tamatoa is based on -- are also called "robber crabs" because of their habit of ''stealing shiny objects''. He also shares the coconut crab's predilections towards isolation (holing himself up in a cave) and cannibalism (see MonstrousCannibalism above).

* TheSociopath: Downplayed as he is a supernatural monster, but he freely admits to having eaten his own grandmother and sadistically beats up Maui while singing and bragging about his narcissism.

* VocalDissonance: When we first hear Tamatoa speak his voice is [[EvilSoundsDeep deep]]. However, his natural tone is higher and more campy, indicating that he only brings out the deep voice when he needs to be threatening. He gains a more [[VoiceOfTheLegion demonic]] second voice in the second half of his song.

* AdaptationalVillainy: These characters have their roots in Hawaiian mythology. The Kakamora from Hawaiian folklore are harmless pranksters that rarely attack, while these guys are vicious pirates. Although they were originally going to be comedic characters, but were made into a more serious threat as the writers decided to raise the stakes.

* AdaptationalUgliness: In a way, Maui in Polynesian Mythology (specifically in Maori) is described as being a thin, lithe, handsome teenager on the verge of manhood that usually has his hair tied back in a neat topknot or ponytail. The movie portrays him as a massive, muscular adult with a head of thick, wild hair, and who is slightly bulkier than other men, which is in line with his depictions in Samoan and Hawaiian. But the specific pronounication used for the movie is the Te Reo version, along with the choice of dubbing.

* HypocriticalHumor: This guy who sang "You're Welcome" a few scenes earlier later mocks Moana by saying that if she starts singing, he's going vomit.

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Moana gets her share of slapstick in several moments, like the RunningGag of Maui throwing her off the boat.

* FreezeFrameBonus: Hawk-eyed viewers will notice that one of the Kakamora has [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 Baymax's]] face [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kakamora_baymax.jpg painted on it.]]

->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/DwayneJohnson; Ataria Firiapu (reo Tahiti, speaking), Steve Reea (reo Tahiti, singing); Piripi Taylor (te reo Māori); Christopher Kaipulaumakaniolono Baker (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi)

* PlayingGertrude: Rachel House was only 44-45 during recording. Temuera Morrison, playing her son, is 11 years her senior.

* ToughLove: It'll manifest to help Moana, but only when ''it'' feels the need, and only after she's made the effort on her own.

* HooksAndCrooks: His WeaponOfChoice is a magical giant fishing hook.

* TranquillizerDart: The Kakamora's WeaponOfChoice.

* DotingGrandparent: Unlike her son, Tala encourages Moana's curiosity toward the ocean and sailing.

* GardenGarment: At the end of the movie her new outfit consists of plants and leaves and other vegatation.

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: Moana distracts him by making a plain rock look like the heart of Te Fiti. As he’s explaining what she’s done, he immediately realizes she and Maui are escaping.

* LanternJawOfJustice: As part of his simplistic style, he has an exaggerated square jaw, compared to the actual Maui's rounder features.

** She also has pronounced reckless streak and habit of going into things without a plan. This gets her into trouble a few times and eventually leads to events where Maui’s hook is damaged. After this, Moana learns to be more careful and plan ahead better.