Moana is one of the most successful Disney films and for good reason too.
But there is one part of the movie that bothered some people enough to create multiple conspiracy theories, more specifically, about one character. Which character? Pua the Pig.
Yes, that's right, there are theories about Moana's pig.
Now Disney films are known to have these sidekick animal tropes where one of them is smart and the other is on the dumber side. Timon & Pumba. Cogsworth & Lumiére. Sebastian & Flounder. Gus & Jaq. Abu & Magic Carpet. Mushu & Cricket. Miko & Flit. Figaro & Cleo. And the list goes on.
It seemed like Moana was gonna follow the same pattern with Pua and HeiHei. People thought both Pua and HeiHei would join Moana on her journey, but Pua didn't go with her, which people found very odd since Pua was in many posters on a boat with Moana. So when the movie came out people were very confused. People assumes Pua would be an important part of the movie. All signs pointed to that until the actual movie came out.
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Thus theories came to light.
[PUA DOESNT EXIST]
No character aside from Moana really acknowledges Pua, which strikes people as odd. Pua seems to be the only pet pig running around the island. The pig acts more like a dog and seems to be a friendly animal. People would imagine the other islanders would love to play with him or at least give him a nice pat on the head as he goes by. But instead, Pua is largely ignored by the people of Motonui. Moana doesn't seem to have any real friends on her island, and certainly not a significant other, so maybe Pua is her imaginary friend.
When Moana is giving Pua a drink of the coconut water you may notice that under Pua there is no grass. Some suggest that grass doesn't grow there because Moana is really pouring coconut water onto that spot.
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Plus, look at that girls face. She is looking at Moana like 'wtf are you doing.'
[PIG IS A SYMBOL FOR WHAT SHE REALLY WANTS]
People believe Pua is the embodiment of what Moana wants the most - her parents approval.
Moana realizes that she can't have both her parents' approval and go on her journey. So she leaves the embodiment of what's holding her back behind & is able to go on her way. When she returns to the island, all seems to be forgiven between her and her parents & so she is able to reunite with the pig, finally able to get both her want (approval) & need (ability to explore the world).
Plus people use the colors of the parents outfits and the pig as another argument. Moana's parents wear pink-ish outfits and what color is Pua? Pink. It could just be a coincidence but in movies nothing like that are coincidental.
[PUA DIED AT THE BEGINNING]
Early on in the film, Moana and her pig get swept up by a dangerous current and almost die. But what if poor Pua didn't actually make it? Pigs can swim, but that was a dangerous ocean and even Moana, who has Moses-like superpowers, almost drowned. It seems unlikely she'd be able to save herself and a pig. "But would they really kill an animal character?" you ask. People tend to think of Disney animated features as very light and happy, but there are some brutal deaths in its history - and not just of bad guys falling off ledges. Lion King, Bambi & The Princess and the Frog immediately come to mind as examples of Disney films where a major animal character is killed off. But what about Pua's appearance for the final number? We've seen characters reappear after dying in this film, so why can't Pua do it? Can a pig be reincarnated as an identical pig? Why not?
[PUA IS MOANA'S FATHERS FRIEND]
We've talked about reincarnation and we've not only heard about reincarnation in this film, but have actually seen it happen. It's likely her father Tui's unlucky friend would want to be an animal who could stay near his island friends after death. Why not be his best friend's daughter's beloved pig?
He had already shown a desire to explore the ocean as a human, but after nearly drowning a second time, this time as a pig, he decides to finally give up that dream. He gets excited at the end of the film, because he is once again able to go sailing with Moana's Dad, his best friend.
[PIG IS MAUI]
Besides on the cryptic poster, which can not be trusted, we never see the two characters together. Neither of them can swim. Both of them have a lot of energy. Both like hanging out with Moana. Oh - and remember - Maui can turn into animals. Why not a pig? Maui claims he was trapped on an island. But what if he was the pig at the beginning, turned into an eagle, flew to the island, turned into Maui, and stole Moana's boat? We already know he's a liar. This series of events is highly plausible... according to this theory anyway.
[MOANA ATE THE PIG]
Only a few minutes into the movie, we see Moana devour a piece of pork and vocalize how delicious she thinks it is. She then looks down at her pet pig, who seems to know exactly what is going on, and apologizes for her insensitivity. But what if the pork she was eating was Pua? Could Pua then be an illusion representing her own guilt at her omnivorous lifestyle?
