Moana's Stupid Rooster Heihei Is One Of The Best Disney Animal Sidekicks
Moana's rooster Heihei is a stupid yet endearing addition to her story — but Disney almost didn't keep him in the movie!
If you've seen Disney's delightful Polynesian adventure Moana this week, you're probably belting out "How Far I'll Go" every five minutes and wishing you could be on a tropical island right about now. The latest wonder to come out of the animation studio, Moana is wooing audiences worldwide and delivering another much-needed tale of a strong and independent girl who likes to get things done. Three cheers for Moana!
The only thing we could complain to Disney about is the relative absence of Pua, the adorable little pig that was seen everywhere in posters and promo clips, and barely appears at the beginning of the movie. Fortunately, she's got a second best friend in the form of Heihei, a stupid rooster who was essentially born for the role of the village idiot — and is a complete scene-stealer throughout the movie.
You Think Chickens Are Stupid? Wait Until You See Heihei
Heihei is a skinny rooster that the kind Moana saved from the chopping block, but never actually intended to take with her when she leaves on her long and arduous journey. He would have probably preferred to stay on land, too, but on that tiny boat they're stuck with each other, and Moana will make sure he doesn't drown.
His complete lack of a survival instinct doesn't only provide comic relief to each of Heihei's scenes, it also adds a little extra challenge for Moana, who would probably have moved a bit faster if she didn't have to save the rooster from unintentional suicide — and if he didn't swallow the treasured stone that half of the ocean's population is after.
As screenwriter Jared Bush puts it:
Once Heihei could really be a complication to Moana and make her journey more difficult, it's great for our main character. So sometimes it's not for entertainment's sake — although it's hugely entertaining. It actually really helped the Moana story quite a bit.
Page 1 of 2
The only thing we could complain to Disney about is the relative absence of Pua, the adorable little pig that was seen everywhere in posters and promo clips, and barely appears at the beginning of the movie. Fortunately, she's got a second best friend in the form of Heihei, a stupid rooster who was essentially born for the role of the village idiot — and is a complete scene-stealer throughout the movie.
You Think Chickens Are Stupid? Wait Until You See Heihei
Heihei is a skinny rooster that the kind Moana saved from the chopping block, but never actually intended to take with her when she leaves on her long and arduous journey. He would have probably preferred to stay on land, too, but on that tiny boat they're stuck with each other, and Moana will make sure he doesn't drown.
His complete lack of a survival instinct doesn't only provide comic relief to each of Heihei's scenes, it also adds a little extra challenge for Moana, who would probably have moved a bit faster if she didn't have to save the rooster from unintentional suicide — and if he didn't swallow the treasured stone that half of the ocean's population is after.
As screenwriter Jared Bush puts it:
Once Heihei could really be a complication to Moana and make her journey more difficult, it's great for our main character. So sometimes it's not for entertainment's sake — although it's hugely entertaining. It actually really helped the Moana story quite a bit.
