Moana Has A Totally Different Name In Italy For This Not-So-Family-Friendly Reason

While it may not quite have measured up to its predecessor in terms of critical reception, Moana 2 still managed to become one of the highest-grossing movies of the past year.

The sequel hit cinemas towards the end of 2024, eight years after the original animated movie was first released.

In the past decade, Moana has become one of Disney’s hottest properties, and its popularity with younger viewers means the movie is the most-streamed in cinema history (which probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone with a child and a Disney+ account at home).

But even if you’ve heard How Far I’ll Go and You’re Welcome so many times that you’re singing them in your sleep, there are still certain things about the modern Disney classic you’re probably not aware of.

Namely, what Moana gets called overseas.

In the lead-up to Moana’s release in 2016, it was revealed that the film would receive a very different title in Italy, where it’s known as Oceania.

Moana herself is also renamed to Vaiana in Italy, and while Disney has never actually confirmed why, it was widely speculated this was to avoid comparisons to the late Italian porn star and media personality Moana Pozzi.

According to Variety, Disney Italy’s head of theatrical marketing did say that the subject of Moana Pozzi had been an “issue” that the company was “thinking about” while considering the film’s release in Italy.

In other European countries – including France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, The Netherlands and across Scandinavia – the film is also known as Vaiana, but this is mostly due to the fact that Moana is a registered trademark in many territories.

Moana (or Vaiana, depending on who you ask) made her second voyage into cinemas in November last year, following an announcement about a sequel that was made just months earlier.

The project originally began life as a TV series, which was eventually switched to a feature-length film during production.