The Rock isn’t going to take the criticism sitting down.
Dwayne Johnson defended allegations of negative stereotyping of his character, Maui, in the upcoming Disney film, Moana.
The wrestler-turned-actor, whose mother is Polynesian, believes that Polynesian people will be “incredibly proud” of the animated film, which centers on Polynesian culture.
Critics of Dwayne’s character include New Zealand’s parliament member Jenny Salesa, who is of Tongan heritage, as Maui the demi-god was portrayed as obese, an inaccurate stereotype of Polynesian people.
Salesa went on to describe Maui’s depiction in the movie as “half-pig, half-hippo”.
Hawaiian teenager Auli’i Cravalho, who voices heroine Moana, admitted earlier that she was initially wary of Disney making a film about their culture, but was pleased with how it turned out.
“I’m excited for my community to see it and excited for everyone else to see it.
Hopefully they’ll be inspired to research our culture.”
You can watch the official trailer below:
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