November 27th is just one week away, so Disney’s Moana 2 is almost here! “I was a huge fan of the first one,” shared writer and co-director Dana Ledoux Miller during an early press day for the highly anticipated sequel. Dana came to the project through executive producer Jared Bush (recently appointed Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios), who collaborated with her on the screenplay for the live-action remake of the first film. “I very distinctly remember sitting in the theater, the lights dimming, and then, over the bumper, hearing the first sounds, the first voices – it was amazing.”
Being of Samoan descent, Dana Ledoux Miller was already writing for TV projects in 2016, but she knew immediately that Moana was a game-changer for Oceanic cultural representation in media. She never dreamed that she’d get to help continue Moana’s story, but following her work on the live-action adaptation, she found herself at the studio that created the character, helping to retool a planned Disney+ TV series into a feature film. “At that time, I was hired as a consulting writer. As this project clearly needed to become a film, I was brought on to write and direct it with the team here. It’s been the experience of a lifetime. I’ve always dreamed of being able to truly represent my people and tell stories that are meaningful to us. And there’s nothing bigger than Moana for us right now, so it’s really exciting to be here.”
“We approached it in that same way, even when it was a series,” revealed co-director David G. Derrek, who was a storyboard artist on the first film and helped craft some of its most iconic musical moments. “We’d screen every iteration of it in [a screening room], and every artist would say the same thing: ‘This needs to be on the big screen.’ The story was telling us what it wanted to be, and ultimately, with all the artists and creators involved, we knew it was destined for theaters.”
The feeling was unanimous at the studio, where the same amount of quality and effort was put into the series as it would if it was meant for the big screen. “It was so exciting to be able to screen the series on the big screen, and when we got the green light to make it a feature, we were thrilled,” co-director Jason Hand added, whose story work at Disney Animation includes the creation of shark-head Maui in the first Moana. “Bob Iger agreed, and we could really make it bigger. It’s so satisfying to see it come together this way. The core ideas and themes have been honed and pushed further, visually and narratively. Every time I see it in a review room, I’m blown away by what the lighters and effects team have done. It’s bigger than the first one.”
“Surprisingly, not much changed,” added Kevin Webb, a head of animation on Moana 2 who recalled the pivot from series to feature film. “The story told us it needed to be seen on the big screen, and once we restructured it, we just kept moving forward.”
One of the secrets of Moana’s success has been the music, a collaboration between songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda and composers Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina. Miranda was unavailable during the production, so the filmmakers had the unenviable task of trying to replace him. “Having two young women who relate to Moana has been invaluable,” said Dana Ledoux Miller about the songwriting duo taking charge of Moana 2, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. “They understand what the story needs. They’re like, ‘Moana is growing up, learning that choices have consequences,’ and they’re living that themselves. With the help of Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i, they’ve been intentional in ensuring that the music remains true to the language of the first film while expanding upon it.”
“He was amazing, especially early on,” Abigail Barlow said of a conversation she and Emily got to have with Lin-Manuel Miranda when they took up the baton on the sequel. “He offered advice, a helping hand, and insights that were incredibly valuable because he spent so much time in Moana’s world. We took what he shared and incorporated it in our own way.”
“We felt so connected to Moana from that first conversation on Zoom about two and a half years ago,” added Emily Bear, who was only a year older than Moana in the sequel when she began working on the film. “She’s a young woman finding her way, and we were, in some ways, going through similar struggles. It was easy to imagine ourselves in her shoes. We’re not fighting lava monsters, but we relate to the core of her journey. I think part of why Disney stays timeless is that it taps into a real, shared human experience.”
“As artists, we draw from our lives,” David G. Derrek said, and he wasn’t just talking about how Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear use their experience as young women to write new songs for Moana. “Moana’s bond with her sister, Simea, was inspired by my own daughter, Samea, and my son, Quenton. During COVID, Samea was away at college, and Quenton missed her dearly. It was a poignant moment of growing up, and we wanted to show Moana’s deeper connection to her family and island through a sister.”
“This is definitely a favorite character of ours,” character art director Danny Arriaga said of Moana’s little sister Simea. “I started sketching her, keeping her age and personality in mind. I wanted to make her unique, so I focused on little things that bring character to life. I don’t often see children’s hair animated realistically – it’s always perfect, slicked back, and tidy, which isn’t realistic. So, Simea’s hair looks like it’s fallen out of a ponytail, with a little mess and strands falling into her face. She also has a bit of a buck-toothed smile, which felt perfect for her.” Danny also referenced toddler Moana from the first film while also blending physical characteristics from both of her parents.
“When I joined the show, Danny had just finished designing Simea, and I loved her teeth,” Kevin Webb revealed. “I have a daughter who was around Simea’s age, and she has a similar buck-tooth look, so I really latched onto that and wanted to celebrate it in Simea. When she speaks, she often bites her lower lip on ‘M’ or ‘B’ sounds, just because of her teeth, and it’s those little details that make her feel real. Children that age have a specific way of moving, too, so I drew on my daughter’s little mannerisms, especially how kids at that age often look like they’re falling forward when they run, barely catching themselves with each step.”
In many ways, Moana 2 represents the past and future of Walt Disney Animation Studios. It’s a sequel to a modern classic and one that expands the cultural representation of the first film while still celebrating the legacy of the studio’s 101-year history, including its hand-drawn animation. “What I loved about working on this film, compared to other projects, is that we got to work closely with our CG animators,” said hand-drawn animator Austin Traylor, who makes his animated feature debut on Moana 2 after lending his talents to recent projects like Once Upon a Studio and the Donald Duck episode of Hot Ones. Like the first film, Mini Maui (the demigod's tattoos) are hand-drawn, and Austin showcased how animators work within a tattoo frame on the CG Maui’s body, a canvas that can move and respond back.
Moana, Maui, Hei Hei, and even Pua are setting sail for new adventures alongside fun friends and against nefarious foes on November 27th in Disney’s Moana 2, exclusively in theaters. Learn more in our interview with the filmmakers.