Disney is doing away with its prince problem. Frozen, the 2013 animated smash, didn’t feature a romantic love interest for Princess Elsa. Likewise, the upcoming Moana will not see its titular character fall in love.
Directors John Musker and Ron Clements told a Comic-Con panel pointedly that Moana wouldn’t be looking for her prince in the movie. Rather, the film will be “about the heroine finding herself,” according to EW. Oh, and teaming up with Maui, a banished demigod voiced by The Rock, to save the world. Minor detail, really.
Though the film has come under fire for its depiction of Maui, a fictional demigod, we think the lack of a traditional love interest is bulletproof. Disney films are aspirational by nature, so including a prince to the heroic princess means that the viewers will associate romantic love with happiness. While romantic love is great when it’s great, it’s not a prerequisite to a fulfilling life. Especially not for pre-teens, who will probably make up much of the target audience.
The greatest tragedy of American life is that we think it’s like the movies. But movies end, and life goes on long past happily-ever-after.
Moana will be released November 23, 2016 .
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