It is a known fact that in almost every new Disney film, there is some sort of fun little easter eggs to find from previous and classic Disney films and Moana is actually jam-packed with them! Finding the small little details and easter eggs can be both exciting and difficult. Some of them can be impossible to find unless you are really searching for them.
They can be right under your nose and the scene in the film can be so intense that it just draws your attention away from what you are looking for. The easter eggs could be small hidden Mickey heads, popular and beloved characters, or even hidden props that were once seen in an older film, but either way, they are definitely super fun to discover.
The Magic Carpet From Aladdin
Near the beginning of the film, as Moana is singing "How Far I'll Go" she walks around her island and even passes her fellow islanders laying out a carpet or a rug that has a shockingly strong resemblance to the beloved magic carpet from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin.
Although it doesn't seem like this carpet can fly or has as big of a personality as the one from the classic film, it definitely has some kind of tie to the film with all of its exact same patterns and color!
Squirt From Finding Nemo
The baby turtle at the beginning of Moana is quite possibly the cutest part of the film, but could it be possible that the small baby turtle has actually been seen somewhere else before? After Moana protects the turtle from birds and helps it make its way back to the ocean, fans see it quickly reunited with its parent who also looks like someone seen before.
The 2003 Disney Pixar film Finding Nemo features turtles Crush and Squirt, who look almost exactly like Moana's turtles, so it could very well be the same ones just from a different time!
Olaf From Frozen Is Seen In Moana's Basket
A dismantled Olaf from the 2013 Disney film Frozen can be seen for a split second after Moana throws her basket into her boat and sets off to the sea. As if the carrot and his arm isn't a big enough of a giveaway, if you pause the scene at the exact second it shows the basket, you can even see his eyes!
Though it doesn't really make sense as to why she would need the things to build a snowman while out on the ocean, it was pretty clever of Disney to have that idea.
Flounder From The Little Mermaid
Among the many different fish seen during Maui's performance of "You're Welcome," one of Disney's most popular and fan-favorite fish can be spotted.
Flounder from the classic 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid can be spotted very easily swimming along with the other fish and dancing along to Maui's song. This one wasn't very discreet and includes his exact colors and body shape!
Moana's Necklace
Another connection to Disney's The Little Mermaid is a small one but it's shockingly very similar. Moana and the villain Ursula both wear necklaces that come from the sea, are magical, and seem to be made from seashells.
Though Ursula uses her from a more wicked and sinister fashion, there is a definite connection between the two!
The Genie's Lamp From Aladdin
Another little Easter egg from the film Aladdin is the well known and beloved Genie lamp. Though this one, in particular, is kind of hard to pinpoint if you don't already know where it is, it is definitely exciting when you can find it! It's actually included in the tons of gold and shiny things that Tamatoa has on his shell.
It makes sense as to why Tamatoa would want to have the Genie's lamp in his collection and for Disney to have the great idea to hide it on his shell is pretty amazing!
Maui Transforms into Sven From Frozen
Although Moana and the 2013 Disney film Frozen seem to be from two different worlds completely, not to mention seasons, Disney found a way to bring the two films together.
As Maui is trying to shapeshift with his fish hook after being reunited with it, he shifts into many different animals - and one including the lovable reindeer Sven! It only shows him for a quick moment but it is a memorable one.
Baymax From Big Hero 6
The cute yet horrifying coconut pirates, aka the Kakamora, seem to be fans of Disney films as well, even big enough fans to have their faces painted exactly like Baymax from the 2014 Disney film Big Hero 6.
It can be hard to really point out but once you find it, the Baymax look-alike is really able to stand out!
Rapunzel's Flower From Tangled
One of the very small details that Disney decided to throw into the beautiful island of Motunui was the iconic magical flower from Disney's 2010 film Tangled. The flower is shown at the end of the film as the camera pans across the island showing all of the flowers and plants coming back to life and if you aren't looking for it, it is quite easy to miss.
In Tangled, it is mentioned that the magical flower in the film is the only one in the world and it gained its power from a single drop of sunlight. So could the flower shown in Moana carry that same power as well?
Tamatoa Jokes About Sebastian From The Little Mermaid
Tamatoa is the musical and shiny crab villain that everyone loves to hate and this easter egg can be difficult to find if you don't stick around after the film's credits. At the very end of the credits, the film pans to Tamatoa still stuck on his back after trying to catch Moana and Maui from earlier in the film and he is still singing his song and struggling to get up.
But he references Disney's The Little Mermaid by saying "If my name was Sebastian and I had a cool Jamaican accent you would totally help me!"