035 0 0 1 6 . Moana: “Why are you elena of avalor costume weird? Tala: “I’m the village crazy lady, that’s my job.
Gramma Tala is a major character in Disney’s 2016 animated feature film, Moana. Like her granddaughter, Tala has a love for sea exploration, having come from an ancestry of South Pacific navigators. She hopes to see her people someday return to their former greatness as master wayfinders. Tala is said to be the “keeper of the ancient stories”, having deep knowledge and understanding of her heritage and culture. She is also aware of the growing darkness that threatens her people, and looks to Moana to someday utilize her wayfinding talents to liberate the world. Moana’s confidante and best friend, who shares her granddaughter’s special connection to the ocean. Although her son Tui, the chief of Motunui, is a no-nonsense leader, Gramma Tala most definitely dances to the beat of her own drum.
Tala is spirited, eccentric, and independent. She is fiercely devoted to the idea of being true to yourself and “listening to your heart. As such, she never adhered to normality for the sake of fitting in, making her somewhat of an outcast, though she holds the reputation of “village crazy lady” with prideful awareness. She is also mischievous and playful, at one point noting that she can keep secrets from Tui if she so please, as although he is chief, she is still his mother. Nevertheless, her independence makes her a beloved and respected figure to Moana, who takes after her grandmother more so than her parents.
The two share an extremely close bond with so much in common and provide support constantly throughout Moana’s early life and even following Tala’s death. Despite her individuality, Tala loved her family and people immensely. As the sole villager to believe there’s truth behind Polynesia’s supernatural elements, Tala lived through much of her latter years with the heavy burden of wanting to restore balance to the dying world, but having no resources to do so. She was nevertheless optimistic throughout the crises, and had the utmost confidence in Moana, the ocean’s chosen savior.