Finding ‘Ohana, a movie about a group of teenagers who search for lost treasure in Hawaii, will be available to stream on Netflix beginning January 29, 2021. Do you want to know more about Finding ‘Ohana, like where it was filmed? Or which ’80s movies served as inspiration? If so, keep reading to find out all that and more. Here are 9 fun facts about Finding ‘Ohana on Netflix!
9 Fun Facts About Finding ‘Ohana on Netflix
I love it when I get the opportunity to participate in virtual interviews for movies. Not only did I recently interview Christina Strain (the screenwriter) and Jude Weng (the director) for Finding ‘Ohana, but I was also able to interview the actresses and actors who play the teenagers in the film: Kea Peahu (Pili), Owen Vaccaro (Casper), Alex Aiono (Ioane), and Lindsay Watson (Hana). Without further ado, here are 9 fun facts about the movie!
- Several ’80s movies inspired Finding ‘Ohana, including The Goonies and Indiana Jones. Christina Strain said that, growing up, she felt represented by Ke Huy Quan, who played Data in The Goonies and Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. As a result, there are several Goonies Easter Eggs in the movie, like when Kea’s character, Pili, speaks Spanish and says the phrase “Hey you guys” during one of the scenes 🙂
- Speaking of Ke Huy Quan, he appears in Finding ‘Ohana as George Phan! Christina Strain said that viewers of the movie should look closely at the keychain George hands to Pili and Alex’s grandfather. It’s another Goonies Easter Egg!
- The movie was filmed not only in Hawaii, but also Thailand. For example, there are several scenes in the movie that take place in a cave and at a waterfall. Owen Vaccaro said that the cave and Erawan Falls (the waterfall shown in the movie) are located in Thailand.
- Kea Peahu is a professional dancer whose dance team is called The Lab. Not only did Kea choreograph a scene at the end of the movie, but during the interview, she said that she had help from Owen, Alex, and Lindsay.
- Because this is an adventure movie, there are several scenes where the characters are in perilous situations. Jude Weng said that Kea, Alex, Lindsay and Owen did most of their own stunts.
- During the interview, Jude Weng also said that Hawaiian authenticity was very important when filming the movie. For example, she worked with cultural consultants to make sure that they were accurately representing Hawaiian culture. There was even a traditional Hawaiian priest who performed blessings during the filming of the movie.
- Kea’s character, Pili, speaks Spanish in the movie. However, during the interview, Kea said that she didn’t know how to speak Spanish. As a result, she worked with a translator to help her speak Spanish during her Spanish-speaking scenes.
- Even though Kea’s character, Pili, likes geocaching, Kea said that she’s never participated in geocaching before! Geocaching is basically a modern day outdoor treasure-hunting game.
- Alex and Lindsay’s characters have several scenes where they banter back and forth. I asked them if they were able to ad lib their lines, and Alex said several of their scenes did indeed involve ad libbing. There is even a funny scene where Lindsay’s character, Hana, flicks her ponytail at Alex’s character, Ioane. Lindsay said during the interview that the scene in question took approximately three takes 🙂
During the interview, Alex said that Finding ‘Ohana is a fun movie that families can watch together and I’m in complete agreement! Click here for my Finding ‘Ohana parents guide. If you’d like to find out more fun facts about other family friendly movies on Netflix, click here for my article regarding Jingle Jangle.
About Finding ‘OHana
A summer in rural O‘ahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when a journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends, and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.