Dwayne Johnson’s New Look In ‘Moana’ Musical Proves That Disney Had A Change Of Heart After Criticism Their Animated Portrayal Of Maui Perpetuated Obesity Stereotypes Of Polynesians
Moana 2 has proved to be a huge commercial success, breaking many records. However, fan focus has already shifted to the upcoming live-action installment of the hit franchise, which will be released by Disney on July 10, 2026.
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The live-action film, currently in production, has already made headlines, especially for the leaked set photos of Dwayne Johnson in a muscle-bulging bodysuit.
Dwayne Johnson’s character, the demigod Maui, being one of the most beloved figures in Polynesian mythology, has stolen the attention from under the titular character. Consequently, Disney’s portrayal of the character in the two animated Moana films and the sale of merchandise with traditional Polynesian community art has been controversial since 2016.
In the animated films, while Moana is portrayed as a regular-sized, feisty Polynesian princess, Maui is a chubby giant, something many Polynesians found offensive, seeing as obesity is a significant public health crisis in the region. Surprisingly, The Rock, who voices Maui, is arguably one of the fittest celebrities in Hollywood.
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His appearance, starkly contrasted to Maui’s in the animated films, would have quelled most of the critical voices against the obesity stereotyping claims – a lesson Disney learned a bit late in the game.
The latest photos of Johnson wearing a bodysuit to bulk up while on the set of the Moana live-action musical seem to prove that Disney listened to the 2016 complaints. Johnson’s look as Maui in the live-action Moana shows Maui as the depiction of power and strength that the animated version of the character lacked.
In the leaked set photos, Johnson wears a bodysuit with well-defined Maui tattoos. He later admitted in an interview that he wore it while on set. “That’s a suit that took a long time to put on. So, I’m so happy you said, ‘You bulked up,’ because when you say, ‘You bulked up,’ that means you couldn’t tell,” he told Extra.
“We shot outside, and when those pictures surfaced, I was like, ‘Sh*t, we got caught, ’cause we were putting up, like, walls so there was no paparazzi. But they got into boats and started shooting pictures,” Johnson further explained.
He further described playing the live-action Maui as “eye-opening.” “I have a handle on who Maui is. I know the voice, I know the man, I know his inspiration, I can access things, I got it. The moment I stepped on set, Terri, as live-action Maui, I realized right away, ‘Oh, wow, this is different,’ in terms of this is real flesh-and-blood and skin-and-bones. It becomes real all of a sudden. It was almost like getting in my grandfather’s skin and what that was like.”
Disney’s image of Maui was partly inspired by Dwayne Johnson’s adoptive grandfather, former professional wrestler Peter Maivia. While there is no standard for how big Maui is, the demigod’s size in Moana is significantly larger than in his previous depictions in films and children’s stories.
Maui retains his traits as a trickster in the stories, but he is mainly depicted as a strong man with six-packs or a regular-sized boy with magical powers. Disney conducted five years of research across Pacific countries before developing their version of the giant-sized fat Maui in 2016. However, their version of the demigod proved extremely controversial in the region.
In 2016, New Zealand labor MP Jennifer Salesa started a protest against Disney across Polynesia when she termed Disney’s image of Maui as “half-pig, half hippo,” arguing that it perpetuated the stereotyping of Polynesians as obese. “When we look at photos of Polynesian men & women from the last 100-200 years, most of our people were not overweight, and this negative stereotype of Maui is just not acceptable – No thanks to Disney,” she said.
“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. 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,” Salesa’s statement read.
Her comments were supported by Samoan Rugby player Fuimaono Sapolo, who, in a now-deleted Facebook post, said, “Maui looking like after he fished up the Islands, he deep fried em and ate em.”
Sapolo also posted a meme on X condemning Disney’s fat-shaming of Polynesians when three of the hottest men in Hollywood, including Dwayne Johnson and Jason Momoa, are Polynesian. Similarly, a Maui costume like the bodysuit worn by Dwayne Johnson on the set of the Moana live-action film, faced backlash.
The use of tribal tattoos and imagery on the costume that Disney was selling was condemned, as the drawings are considered sacred symbols of the specific tribes. “It is considered taboo and extremely disrespectful in many Pacific cultures to wear the markings of a people or place that you are not spiritually or physically connected to,” MP Salesa, who is Tongan, explained.
The 2016 backlash also included accusations of cultural appropriation by Pasifika rights groups. Disney was forced to pull the costume from its online stores when multiple organizations, including The Human Rights Commission, condemned the insensitivity of the company’s actions.
“Even for Pacific people who don’t believe in Maui, replicating a Polynesian tattoo and offering it to children for a price is belittling and trivializing an intimate aspect of Pacific people and culture,” Salesa told the BBC. While the sale of the costume was stopped, Disney didn’t officially give a response to the fat-shaming claims.
However, Dwayne Johnson’s new look as strong-man Maui could just be their way of responding to the outcry. While Johnson appears stockier in the photos, he still has his six-pack, and most importantly, his suit doesn’t have Maui’s chubby features and beer belly that led to the fat-shaming claims in the first place.
With his bulked-up biceps and well-defined abs, Johnson looks more like a Maui that started going to the gym in the leaked photos. He also has Maui’s long hair, just like in the animated films, as well as his iconic leaf skirt. The tattoos are also better defined on the suit than live tattoos would have been. Consequently, is actually hard to tell whether Johnson is even wearing a bodysuit.
Since the live-action depiction of Maui is more in line with the image of the demigod as described in Polynesian legends, it will likely quell the fears of stereotyping. His portrayal of strength, with a muscular body rather than a pot belly, seems to prove that Disney finally listened to the heavy criticism that its portrayal of Maui in Moana received.
Fans on Reddit, for example, have praised Johnson’s appearance in the live action film with many saying the bodysuit wasn’t a bad idea.
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