Movies What does Moana's new [SPOILER] mean for her future? Kinda makes you ink... By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on November 28, 2024 12:00PM EST Comments Warning: This story contains spoilers about Moana 2. In Polynesian culture, tattoos are incredibly meaningful, generally representing aspects of one's family, history, and cultural legend. That's certainly true for Moana's demi-god, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), whose tattoos are animated renderings of his past (they even move!). But Maui isn't the only one with impressive ink anymore. Beyond the sea: Moana 2's Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson reflect on the unexpected path to their surprise sequel In Moana 2, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) nearly dies attempting to reach the sunken island of Motufetu, swimming deep into the ocean to touch the land, thus breaking the evil god Nalo's curse. When Maui goes to save her, he sings a mournful chant, welcoming all of her ancestors, including Moana's grandmother, Tala (Rachel House). They breathe new life into Moana, and when she awakens, she has a new tattoo — the symbol of the mountain peaks and stars above Motufetu that she first found etched onto a piece of pottery, which set her journey in motion. But what does this tattoo, which magically inks itself onto Moana's arm, mean? Maui and Moana in 'Moana 2'. Disney Enterprises Maui's arc in Moana 2 allowed Dwayne Johnson to reflect on his own vulnerability: 'Asking for help is a superpower' The film itself is coy about the new body art's symbolism. "So, does this mean?..." Moana asks, seemingly inquiring as to whether she is now a demi-god like Maui. He replies, "That my tattoos are cooler than yours? Yes." Reflecting on the moment with Entertainment Weekly, Johnson says he thinks "it's safe to assume...that she becomes a demi-god," adding, "I really appreciate how it was executed and how it was written." Cravalho also hints at Moana's new status while speaking about her freshly minted title at the film's start: Tautai. "That means she's a master navigator," she tells EW. "I love that we have this Indigenous history on the big screen, but without spoiling too much, Moana's title changes a few times. Is she a princess? Is she a TauTai? Is she something more?" Is Moana a princess? Star Auli'i Cravalho has the definitive answer about the Disney heroine Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. While Johnson and Cravalho are speaking from their characters' points of view, co-writer and co-director Dana Ledoux Miller confirms that Moana's tattoo means exactly what Moana thinks it means — that she has acquired some new status and/or power that is shared by gods and demi-gods. "Yes," Miller says of whether or not the tattoo makes Moana a demi-god. "But we don't know exactly what that means for her future yet." Between this and the post-credits scene, we're already eager for more Moana.