I got downvoted to hell for stating the same thing on reddit a couple of years ago!
Also, the choice was not just to avoid association with the porn star. The name Moana was not legally available to Disney in several European countries so they had to find a different name
i love the idea that disney would for some reason care about a porn star that barely anyone has ever heard about, as if search results for the name wouldn’t instantly be overwhelmed by the disney movie…
the legal issues have to like 97% of the reason for the name change
I wonder if they are aware that in Europe the Disney character is called Vaiana, because there is a porn star named Moana.
I got downvoted to hell for stating the same thing on reddit a couple of years ago!
Also, the choice was not just to avoid association with the porn star. The name Moana was not legally available to Disney in several European countries so they had to find a different name
i love the idea that disney would for some reason care about a porn star that barely anyone has ever heard about, as if search results for the name wouldn’t instantly be overwhelmed by the disney movie…
the legal issues have to like 97% of the reason for the name change
Thank you kind sir for the vintage research material.
Apparently there were legitimate trademark issues also at play. Apparently its an Ice cream brand in Romania and a perfume brand in Spain.
“‘Moana’ is registered as a trademark in Spain, and in a number of other European countries, hence the change to Vaiana in Europe.”