Fans of Moana know well that they had to wait eight long years for a sequel to arrive in Moana 2, but what some of them may not know is that they almost didn’t have the chance to see their favorite Disney character back on the big screen again. Originally planned as a Disney+ series, Moana 2 went under some last-minute changes to be transformed into a feature film. In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Moana 2 directors Dana Ledoux Miller, David Derrick Jr. and Jason Hand explained how that change happened.
During the interview, Miller, Derrick Jr., and Hand explained to Weintraub that there are some obvious differences between making a movie and a TV series, and much was taken into consideration when the moment came to decide Moana 2‘s fate. The trio commented on the slate of new characters they introduced, but Derrick Jr. revealed that a simple realization made them go for the big-screen release:
“It was always the same overarching story and emotional journey that we wanted to tell every time. We wanted to introduce all these new characters. It was a story about connection and personal growth. What the series gave us was an opportunity to get to know these characters intimately, the way you can with a series, but
what we were doing in the story just begged for a bigger and bigger screen.
So, as soon as we funneled all of the learnings from our new characters through Moana’s journey, it actually just strengthened Moana’s growth and the theme of the story. So,
there wasn’t, for me, anything left out from the series
. We were able to learn things from the series that just supercharged the feature.”
How Far Can ‘Moana 2’ Go?
The early box office reports for Moana 2 are already in, and so far it looks like Disney’s decision to switch to a theatrical release will pay off. In just one day, the animated movie managed to rake in $66.3 million worldwide, and the movie still has Thanksgiving numbers and a whole weekend’s worth of performance to hit a $100 million debut — which looks pretty likely at this point.
Moana 2 takes place three years after the events of the first movie and chronicles a call that she receives from her ancestors. Moana is instructed to assemble a crew and brave the seas to find a hidden island to reconnect with other civilizations. Auli’i Cravalho (Mean Girls musical) reprises her voice role as the title character and other returning voice cast members include Dwayne Johnson (Fast X), Temuera Morrison (The Book of Boba Fett), Nicole Scherzinger (Trese), Rachel House (Time Bandits), Jemaine Clement (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien).
Moana 2 is playing in theaters now, stay tuned at Collider for our full conversation with the directors.
Moana sets out on another daring voyage, venturing into uncharted territories to save her island from a looming ancient danger. Joined by the demigod Maui and her steadfast friends, she braves perilous seas and encounters new allies along the way. Her quest leads to revelations about her ancestors and deeper insights into her bond with the ocean.
- Release Date
- November 27, 2024
- Director
- David G. Derrick Jr. , Jason Hand , Dana Ledoux Miller
- Cast
- Auli’i Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Alan Tudyk , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Nicole Scherzinger , Hualālai Chung , David Fane , Rose Matafeo , Awhimai Fraser , Gerald Ramsey , Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Writers
- Dana Ledoux Miller , Jared Bush , Jason Hand , Ron Clements , John Musker
- Studio(s)
- Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Where To Stream
- Disney+
Source link
