During its seven-year run,Once Upon a Timefeatured a collection of multiple different fairytale and Disney characters, ranging from Snow White and Cinderella, totheFrozencharactersAnna and Elsa. However, despite the show trying to stay up to date with recent Disney releases, one Disney princess who never appeared in the show was Moana. Although she didn’t appear in person, elements of the hit 2016 filmMoanadid make it into the plot of the show. Maui was a fearsome sea legend, introduced in the show’s seventh season. Although Maui didn’t appear himself, his famous fish hook did.
Maui’s fish hook wasn’t the first “mythical” item to appear on the show. When it was difficult to incorporate a popular movie intoOnce Upon a Time,the show tended to turn the concept of it into mythology. An example of this was the will-o'-the-wisp in season 5, the Pegasus flag, or Ursula’s existence in the show’s third season. The whole show is based on the belief of something that can’t be proven. So, whenHook needed Maui’s fishhook to rescue his daughter, he still searched for it despite the legends that it might not exist.
Moana Didn’t Appear In OUAT, But Maui’s Fish Hook Did
The Show Wanted To Introduce Elements From The 2016 Film Slowly
Although none of the characters from Moana appeared inOnce Upon a Time, Maui’s fish hook did. The item first appeared in season 7, episode 13, “Knightfall”. In this episode,Hook searches for a way to save his daughter, Alice from being trapped in a tower. Rumpelstiltskin tells him about Maui’s fish hook, a relic that can break any prison. So, throughout the episode, Hook sets out on a quest to locate the fish hook. He then attempts to save histrapped daughter from Gothel’s tower, which is unfortunately unsuccessful.
In the 2016 filmMoana, the fish hook gives Maui the power to shape-shift, a completely different power to the one it exhibits inOnce Upon a Time.It arguably would have been more interesting if it had retained the shapeshifting abilities in the show. This would have allowed Hook to shape-shift into someone else to try and free his daughter from Gothel.It also would have allowed the fish hook to appear more frequently on the showas it would have been more interesting to see more characters use it to transform themselves rather than breaking free from a prison.
Maui’s Fish Hook Saved The Main Characters On Multiple Occasions
Maui’s Fish Hook Played A Big Role In Captain Hook’s Story Arc
Although it just appeared in two episodes, Maui’s fish hook played a huge role inOnce Upon a Time. After the failed attempt to save Alice in “Knightfall” it felt like it was the last time Maui’s fish hook would be featured on the show. However, the object later appeared in the show’s last ever episode, titled “Leaving Storybrooke”. In this scene, Hook, Rumpelstiltskin and the heroes are trapped inside an enchanted snow globe, freezing to death. Here,the fish hook appeared out of nowhere and Hook was able to use it to escapeand save everyone’s lives.
Hook’s original quest was to find the fish hook to save Alice.
It was later revealed that it was Alice that transported Maui’s fish hook into the snow globe. This was ironic, given that Hook’s original quest was to find the fish hook to save Alice, yet it was ultimatelyAlice who found the fish hook and used it to save Hook.The fact that the fish hook played a huge role in saving the main characters in the last ever episode of the show means that the object was vital in theOnce Upon a Timeuniverse, incorporating elements ofMoanainto the show without using the characters.
Once Upon A Time Liked To Stay Up To Date
It’s no secret thatOnce Upon a Timeliked to stay up to date with the latest Disney movies. In 2014, the show introduced Anna and Elsa into the universe less than a year after the release ofFrozen. Also towards the end of 2014, Maleficent made a triumphant return to the series after the success of the 2014 movieMaleficent. Even Merida appeared in the show’s fifth season after the success ofBravein 2012.
This Character’s Resurrection In Once Upon A Time Season 3 Totally Ruined Peter Pan’s Fate
In Once Upon a Time season three, Rumpelstiltskin sacrificed himself to get rid of Peter Pan. But when Rumpelstiltskin returned, Peter Pan didn’t.
With all of these examples, it’s evident that the characters fromMoanawould have more than likely made an appearance ifOnce Upon a Timehad been renewed for an eighth season. Although the storyline is unknown, the show consistently proved its ability to integrate various popular Disney characters seamlessly. There’s no reason to expect thatMoanawould have been an exception.
Once Upon A Time
Cast
Once Upon a Time is an adventure fantasy-drama series created for ABC that features fairy tale characters and their Disney incarnations in a modern setting. When Emma Swan and her son Henry accidentally drive into the town of Storybrooke, they soon discover the inhabitants are those from fairy tales, and they have no knowledge of the modern world inhabited by Emma and Henry. Robbed of their pasts and given new identities by the Evil Queen known as Regina, the hope of the town’s residents lie solely in the hands of Emma, who has stronger connections to the town than she knows.
