Why the internet refused to wait for Moana 

Why the Internet refused to wait for Moana, the Disney princess of 2016

Jan 21, 2014, 10:00pm CT | Last updated Aug 21, 2015, 10:44am CT

The dust has barely settled after the release of Disney’s most recent smash-hit,

, but fans are already looking forward to their next Disney princess fix. With a release date of Nov. 23, 2016, the Polynesian fantasy musical

has already managed to inspire its own very lively fandom.

The animated musical will tell the story of a young Polynesian sea-voyager and navigator, Moana Waialiki, and will be directed by the creators of

. It apparently includes Moana going on an epic journey and meeting demi-gods from what the Disney wiki somewhat oxymoronically describes as “real mythology.”

Not much else is known about the film, but the fact that Moana will be Disney’s first Polynesian sea-voyaging princess is enough for many people to be majorly psyched already. 

Only one piece of Moana concept art has been seen online so far, but it was quickly pulled by Disney on the grounds that it wasn’t an official release. 

(Disney released more information and showed off some art at its D23 event in August 2015.)

Still, that was all fans needed to inspire their own Moana fanworks. Tumblr is already alive with people drawing their own interpretations of the Polynesian princess, from cute, ukulele-playing girly-girl to tough, muscular sailor. 

The evolution of the Disney Princess brand has received a lot of attention in recent years, partly thanks to the addition of characters like Merida, the tomboyish heroine of Disney/Pixar’s

. The Princesses are one of the biggest media franchises aimed specifically at young girls, so many parents were glad to see more forward-thinking characters being introduced, to balance out the passivity of the more traditional princesses like Cinderella and Snow White. When Merida was given a more feminine makeover as part of her official induction into the Disney princess pantheon, there was actual public outcry for her to be returned to her original state. 

With its combination of chase sequences, cute ballroom scenes and a focus on the relationship between two sisters,

seemed to strike the perfect balance. Its princesses had agency and power in their own right, but still wore sparkly tiaras that 6-year-olds could then buy from the Disney store. 

Of course, the relative feminism of recent Disney princess movies is not the only thing that modern viewers are concerned about. There’s also the issue of racial representation in the princess movies—or rather, the glaringly white nature of most of Disney’s animated output. 

The Disney Princesses come under a lot more scrutiny than other cartoons because they’re directly marketed to be role models for young girls. And because the last four princesses were all white, many fans and parents of young girls began to accuse Disney of failing to represent people of color. 

was released in 2009, Tiana may have been Disney’s first black princess, but she spent much of the story as a frog, and the movie also contained some pretty unflattering racial stereotypes. Then when

was announced, many fans were disappointed once again because the movie included aspects of indigenous Scandinavian culture such as Sami music and clothing, but no actual Sami

. Online, the result was a fanart meme where people re-drew

’s characters as people of color, sometimes recasting the entire movie with Inuit or Sami characters. 

was the third Disney Princess movie in a row to feature an all-white cast, with some fans pointing out the close visual similarities between the blonde lead characters in

’s Rapunzel. The controversy only got worse after

’s head of animation made some pretty bizarre comments about female characters being “really, really difficult” to animate because they supposedly had a wider range of emotions than men. As explanations go, it was not the best reasoning for why Disney has been producing slim, caucasian princesses with tiny noses and big eyes for the past 60 years. 

It’s no surprise then, that Moana has already caught the hearts of the type of adult Disney enthusiasts who engage through fanart and discussion on sites like Tumblr and Reddit. Criticism from a small minority of online fans is unlikely to have made much of a difference to Disney’s decision when choosing new movie concepts, particularly when 

 was such a runaway success, but the announcement of another non-white princess is a sign that they are at least aware of their current track record.

With years to go until Moana is released, some of its target audience haven’t even been

yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t already bringing happiness to the hearts of Disney fans. As one teenage girl wrote on her Tumblr blog:

“as a person of polynesian descent, i got extremely excited when disney’s moana was announced and didn’t really know

and then i realised THIS is what representation feels like.”

Update 10am CT Aug. 21, 2015: This story has been updated to reflect the official release date of Nov. 23, 2016, announced by Disney.

Parkour gets sexy thanks to amazing #StreetPole dancers

Girl power and gossip at Fullscreen's Girls Night In

The Girls Night In brand of girl power, gossip, and fun might be the modern answer for a teen magazine.

The definitive guide to YouTube's 9 global production spaces

With new offerings coming to Toronto and Paris, YouTube\'s physical presence is greater than ever.

Apple is taking heat from some iPhone owners.

Apple bests its own launch record, selling 13 million new iPhones

It's now possible to 3D print objects using living human cells

A company called BioBots wants to change what we think 3D printing is capable of.

After 7 months, app that tracks U.S. drone strikes removed from App Store

It was removed because of \'exceptionally crude or objectionable content.\'

Current Internet speeds in outer space are about a decade behind the times.

BlackBerry is launching an Android phone with slider keyboard

Incredible 3D-printed top can sense when someone's staring at you

Pope Francis sides with Kim Davis on refusing to give gay couples marriage licenses

He almost made it back to Rome without talking about Kim Davis.

More Hillary Clinton emails discovered as she dismisses email 'conspiracy theory'

Recent polls have shown that voters are wary of Clinton\'s handling of the issue.

CNN will stream the Democratic debate in virtual reality

Virtual reality viewers will catch all the eyerolls and nose scratches that TV viewers miss.

Anti-gentrification protesters descend on London 'hipster' cereal cafe

Was this an anti-gentrification protest, a hipster street party, or both?

Video of police shooting reportedly armed suspect in wheelchair draws national outrage

New game lets you hit Kim Davis with marriage applications

Finally, you can throw paper at someone and have them be the ones to go to jail.

Obama praises social media's power to 'expose corruption' in U.N. speech

\'You can control access to information, but you can’t lie about truth.\'