The Moana Theory That Changes Everything About The Movie

Many Redditors felt it fell in line with the story, and potentially gave it more depth. "Maui confirms this. When Moana falls into the realm of monsters, Maui shrugs and literally says, 'Well, she's dead.' This is not some cruel or heartless comment. Maui isn't that evil. He's reassuring himself that Moana is fine because she's already dead, and he knows it," @ThePopcornIsntReal pointed out. "When Maui sees Moana again a few seconds later, he's not surprised at all. ... Maui's not surprised to see her alive because he already knew she would survive the fall, since she's a spirit."

Others, however, weren't completely sold. While generally people agreed that she might have gone into an otherworldly, mythological realm, it doesn't mean she's actually dead. "When Moana confronts the Kakamora, Maui shouts, 'They're just gonna kill you!' If she's already dead this shouldn't be a concern," @TheShadowKick noted.

Some speculated that rather than being dead, the Ocean turned Moana into a demigod. OP @davemidrock was open to that idea as well. "Other people have commented here on how maybe she was chosen because she was already a demigod, or an avatar of Te Fiti. I like that theory a lot as well," the user wrote. "Maybe there are a few magical things in the real world, but there's a still a magical world those things originate from, which Moana had to enter in order to restore the Heart."