Why the song “Moana 2” highlights the cultural expression “Chee Hoo.”

November 28, 2024

“Can I get a Chee Hoo?”

It’s a question that the demigod Maui melodically asks the titular princess in “Moana 2.” But this seemingly simple request is deeply rooted in cultural tradition, notable in narrative context, and likely to become Disney’s next inescapable catchy tune due to its catchy hook.

The charismatic composition, enthusiastically performed by Dwayne Johnson, is indeed worth mentioning, especially following the 2016 film’s popular numbers written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i. “The first one was great, introducing this culture to the world, and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved,” Foa’i said.

“The songs in a second film have to be either as good as the first film or better,” said Mancina, who co-wrote the sequel’s songs with Foa’i, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. “When they lack integrity, children realize: This is just a money grab.”

The animated adventure begins three years after the events of the first film: Moana, now an experienced “wayfinder”, respected community leader and older sister, follows her ancestors’ call to venture further than ever before to ensure her future well-being Island.

“This time the story is also about the aspect of growth: you try to plan where you are going and you want to stay on the exact course, but you really have to understand that life throws you curves and challenges to which “Your crew will help you with this,” said recurring actor Auli’i Cravalho, who voices Moana.

In an animated film, a girl holds her little sister on the beach.

A standout song: “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” is performed more than halfway through the film, when Moana is deeply discouraged about facing Nalo, the god of storms.

“In the first film, Maui met Moana when he was at his lowest and most vulnerable, and she gave him strength and helped him reach his full potential,” said David Derrick Jr., one of the sequel’s three directors. “We wanted Maui Moana to return the favor, but in the most entertaining way possible.”

“Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” is an upbeat, percussion-driven track with hints of a rock anthem, which also features a retro instrumental solo (a mix of a jazz flute and various synthesizers, delivered by Maui over a fire shell). It was the final song written for the film, replacing another number that didn’t fully reflect where Moana was at that moment or how much Maui cared for her.

“Everything we did was either too cheesy or abstract, or it sounded like a motivational speech we copied from YouTube,” Bear said. “How do we make this character and his friendship with Moana cool and not cheesy, but still authentic?

“When I’m at my lowest point and I feel like nothing anyone says to me is going to make me feel better, I don’t need a motivational speech, I need a dose of reality,” Bear continued. With this song, “Maui Moana is essentially saying, ‘Stop doubting yourself, because the enemy you’re up against doesn’t doubt you.’ He wouldn’t waste his time trying to stop you if they didn’t believe you were capable of defeating him.'”

A man and a woman stand on the beach next to a wooden ship and look into the camera

Maui lifts Moana up musically by reminding her of who she is, applauding her innate greatness, and then challenging her to do the same for herself. How? “With a battle cry of epic proportions,” Barlow said.

This particular phrase, which Maui shouted many times in the first film, is a fa’aumu or an expression of emotion in Samoan culture, and it has great significance in all Pacific Island communities as a whole.

“I think the way it is portrayed in the film reflects how it is actually used today,” said Grant Muāgututi’a, a Samoan linguist and dialect coach who worked on the film. “It’s like showing your heart. The most common contemporary use is to assist at a special occasion – a performance, a football match, a wedding or a funeral.”

“It’s such an important celebratory celebration, like our version of ‘Hip Hip Hooray,'” Cravalho added. “As soon as the fireworks are lit on New Year’s Eve, you hear Chee Hoos all over the island. It’s almost like a call and response. Every time there’s a graduation ceremony and a Pacific Islander takes the stage, you can bet we’ll be Chee Hoo-ing the loudest.”

The song “Moana 2” adopts this Pacific Islander greeting as a life ethos, similar to how “Hakuna Matata,” a Swahili translation, takes as a personal motto in “The Lion King.” “We wanted to make sure that nothing we did was too silly,” said Mancina, who worked on both songs, “but that it was still really fun.”

Adapting the culturally significant phrase for an anticipated Disney film initially made co-director Dana Ledoux Miller nervous.

“It’s something that I take very seriously and that I’ve had a lot of conversations about, especially because I wanted to make sure that when it’s used it’s a celebration and it’s used in a positive way,” she said. “Knowing it would mean a lot to a lot of people, we didn’t want to get it wrong. It was exciting to move forward through this collaboration with this mindfulness and create something that was so much fun. I’m so proud of the care we took.”

To make things right, “Moana 2” directors Derrick and Ledoux Miller — both of Samoan descent — and Jason Hand created the film with plenty of culturally authentic elements thanks to the Oceanic Cultural Trust, a group of 13 experts in anthropology , history, movement, canoes and navigation, linguistics and various cultural practices.

“I think by showing more moments where we engage with the specifics of the culture, audiences will also engage because it gives our story a real foundation,” Derrick said. For him, a song like “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” was a hit. is proof that “concrete engagement with culture does not have to be an important moment. It can be enlightening, funny and joyful.”

“It’s great to be part of all these brilliant minds and work together to make the film as respectful and respectful as possible,” added Muāgututi’a, a member of the Oceanic Cultural Trust. “When things like ‘Chee Hoo’ are shared in a way that is accurate and inclusive, it’s less an appropriation and more an appreciation. It’s all love.”

The Foundation consulted on many key moments that illustrate Moana’s culture and character development: her participation in a kava ceremony for a new title, the further development of her orientation skills, and her pivotal performance of a haka, a ceremonial dance and song. “I’ve never done a haka before, so I was really excited about it,” Cravalho said of filming the scene. “I put my whole breast in it and it felt so good!”

And in “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” Moana is shown performing Shiva Afior fire knife dance. “This is something you only see from men,” said animation reference choreographer Tiana Nonosina Liufau. “When I did it physically (as a model for the film’s animators), I really felt so strong. So when I think about Moana doing it in this moment when she’s feeling down, and especially because you don’t usually see women doing it, I think the song leaves her with a feeling of great power. “

“We were obsessed with getting this right,” Hand said as he mimicked Liufau’s physicality for the fire dance sequence. “These movements all mean something, so it’s really important to do them correctly. Our animators paid great attention to all their work.”

According to Hand, Johnson “got goosebumps when he first heard “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” In the recording booth, Bear encouraged the actor to imagine he was singing something directly to his daughter: “If you see her in that position “How would you want to break this news to her?” It would be full of heart.”

With “Moana 2” now in theaters, “we’ll probably see a lot of little kids shouting ‘Chee Hoo’ everywhere,” Foa’i said with a laugh. This is an exciting thought for Moana actor Cravalho.

“I’ve spent a decade with this character and the impact she continues to have is almost overwhelming to me,” she said. “It’s really so important to see a young woman as the hero of her own story, and I’m very proud that what makes us special is being shared with the masses because Disney is putting it on a bigger platform.” That’s why I say, “Thank you.” everyone who is not from the Pacific Islands but can still see themselves in this or other characters in this film.”