Native peoples of the Pacific resumed voyaging again a thousand years later. Clements and Musker set the film at that point in time, about two thousand years ago, on a fictional island in the central Pacific Ocean, which drew inspiration from elements of the real-life island nations of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.

Disney's Moana is set approximately 2,000 to 3,000 years ago in the Central Pacific, specifically during a period of transition for the Polynesian people. The film's story is deeply rooted in the real-life history of "The Long Pause"—a millennium-long era where the seafaring ancestors of the Polynesians stopped their eastward expansion across the Pacific. The filmmakers, John Musker and Ron Clements, consulted with historians and cultural experts to place Moana at the end of this pause, portraying her as the one who rediscovers the "Wayfinding" traditions of her ancestors to resume their voyages of discovery. While the island of Motunui is fictional, its culture, clothing, and technology (such as the outrigger canoes) are carefully inspired by the historical archaeological records of Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga during that ancient era. By setting the film in this prehistoric time, Disney was able to blend historical reality with the rich mythological traditions of the demigod Maui and the elemental goddess Te Fiti, creating a narrative that feels both timeless and grounded in the specific heritage of Oceania.