Dwayne Johnson’s curly wig in the live-action movie Moana, in which he reprises the voice of the demigod Maui, has become a hot topic online.
But these waves weren’t big Hawaiian swells, they were crashing waves as social media users teased the look of an upcoming Disney movie. In particular, viewers couldn’t understand how the production team gave Johnson, who is famously bald, a voluminous curly hair.
One user described X as “the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen,” while another said, “Dwayne Johnson with hair is disgusting…I can’t stop watching this.” Perhaps the best burn came from Weird Al Yankovic, who joked that the hairpiece’s curl pattern looked eerily similar to his own. “I’ve told all the casting agents that the Weird Al biopic sequel is currently on hold, but they just keep sending me headshots,” the prolific impersonator captioned a post with a close-up shot of Johnson.
However, due to all the attention, the movie’s trailer received 132 million views across YouTube and other social platforms in the first 24 hours. That number beats Moana 2, the live-action version of Mufasa, Barbie, Wonka, and the first look at Johnson’s Red One. As Johnson’s Merry God sings, “What else can you say but ‘You’re welcome?'”
Despite the backlash, Johnson’s changes were far-reaching. The actor told Entertainment Weekly that he spent two and a half hours each day in the makeup chair between his Maui wig and 40-pound synthetic bodysuit.
“The wig was very important and important, because in maintaining the integrity of the animated version of the character, Maui was very proud of his hair. And he had beautiful hair, beautiful demigod hair,” Johnson said, noting that the filmmakers considered (but ultimately abandoned) the idea of using digital effects to create Maui’s hair. “There were some iterations that we were trying to apply very early on: What’s the most cost-effective? What’s the most time-efficient? But ultimately you have to go back to the main point of what’s best for the film and the audience experience.”
Translating the electric pop of animation into reality isn’t always an easy task. Fans routinely criticize the heavy use of CGI in Disney live-action films like Mufasa and Snow White, commenting that the colors look desaturated. “Moana” is not picture-locked, so the coloring and visual effects are not yet complete, but sources say there are no plans for a major creative shift despite the rise of social media.
Disney declined to comment on the Moana trailer.
Maui’s hair wasn’t the only subject of social media criticism. Users also took aim at the film’s look, with one person observing, “I can’t understand how they managed to make Polynesia, especially Polynesia, look so washed-out and boring.”
The new “Moana” was shot on location in Oahu, Hawaii, and at Trillis Studios in Atlanta, where the team completed some of the visual effects-heavy action sequences. (This prompted one X user to joke, “You should go to jail for shooting even one second of a movie set in Polynesia in Atlanta.”) Parts of the film were shot on soundstages, so cinematographer Oscar Faura (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) had to digitally blend the camera footage to match the images. Bill Westenhofer is a visual effects supervisor who previously worked on “Life of Pi,” which used extensive CGI to create seascapes and animal characters.
It’s not uncommon for special effects-heavy movies to be roasted online when viewers get a glimpse of them. Sources claim that the commentators are only too vocal and do not reflect the public’s enthusiasm for the project. In the case of “Moana,” less than 5% of mentions contained negative statements about Maui’s hair or overall appearance in the photo, officials claim.
This trailer was particularly well received by parents. “I’m more excited than a 5 year old,” one person wrote on Instagram. Another praised the film’s depiction of Polynesia, saying, “Seeing a princess who looked like my ethnicity made me “chill all over.” A piece of my soul has returned.”
“Moana” also has some friends in the early trailer review department. When director Jon M. Chu released the first look for his blockbuster Wicked, people were quick to criticize the “dark” visuals, prompting the director to defend the musical’s on-screen aesthetic. “I wanted an image that was exciting and provocative to show that it wasn’t a bright, pop story. I didn’t have any effects on it. I colored it on my iPhone,” Chu said. “I love playing with shadows, but I used to turn the brightness on my iPhone really high. I literally published a photo from my iPhone and realized, ‘Oh, people don’t actually turn the brightness that high.’ I felt bad for doing that. I couldn’t get past the studio. ”
And then there was Sonic the Hedgehog, the 2020 version of the popular video game. When Paramount premiered the film in 2019, online commentators were taken aback by the speedy hedgehog’s human-like teeth and strange facial features. This backlash sent the filmmakers back to square one, with director Jeff Fowler announcing, “The message is loud and clear: We’re not happy with the design and we want it changed. It’s bound to happen. Everyone at Paramount and Sega is fully committed to making this character the best it can be.” In the end, audiences liked Sonic’s new look, and when he hit theaters a year later, he drew huge crowds.
When Maui and the others set sail this July, Moana may be the latest movie to survive the social media storm. After all, if the live-action remake matches (or even beats) the box office revenue of the animated film, Disney will be laughing their ass off.
