Disney Pulled That Offensive Moana Costume. Heres Why It Matters.
Less than a week after Disney debuted kids costumes for their upcoming film Moana, the company has pulled several products from their website after the items sparked outrage for appearing to promote brownface.
Representatives from Disney told The Huffington Post on Wednesday that the decision to pull the items came when it was brought to their attention that they were viewed as offensive.
Among the removed items were a Halloween costume and pajama set for kids, both representing the demigod Maui, the fictional co-star played by Dwayne The Rock Johnson.
The team behind Moana has taken great care to respect the cultures of the Pacific Islands that inspired the film, and we regret that the Maui costume has offended some, a Disney representative told HuffPost on Wednesday. We sincerely apologize and are pulling the costume from our website and stores.
Both the Maui costume and pajamas are essentially brown skin bodysuits, adorned with Polynesian tattoos and a faux-leaf skirt. Also listed on the Disney store site: two sets of wigs with thick, dark hair to top off the Maui and Moana look.