Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson are back as Moana and Maui, respectively, for Moana 2. The former recently opened up about her experiences working with the latter, and why it’s always a good time when you get to hang out with The Rock.
Cravalho shared with IMDb that it is “a blast” to work with Johnson, admitting, “I love that guy. He’s truly larger than life, both on and off the screen. Smells good. He’s very kind. He’s great at his job. I mean, I always look forward to hanging out with him.” Cravalho and Johnson have been busy recording their lines for Moana 2, with the actor sharing a funny anecdote from their time doing behind-the-scenes work. “[Any] time I would mess up a line, he’d go, ‘[clears throat].’ What?! It was harder to maintain my composure knowing that he was as on top of my lines as I was supposed to be on top of my lines,” she recalled.
Although Moana was a critical and commercial success when it opened in theaters back in 2016, Disney did not announce a follow-up project set in the universe until December 2020, when the studio revealed that it had commissioned a Disney+ series to serve as a sequel to the animated film. However, after a lack of development updates since the initial announcement, Disney announced in February 2024, to the surprise of many fans, that the Disney+ series had been redeveloped into a feature-length film.
Moana 2 Is Set Three Years After the Original Movie
“Moana 2 reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced,” reads the official synopsis. David G. Derrick Jr., who wrote and directed the scrapped Moana animated series, is credited as the lead director of Moana 2, with Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller credited as co-directors. The screenplay was written by Jared Bush — who wrote the original 2016 movie — and Miller.
Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i, the composers and co-songwriters of the first film, returned to score and write the songs for Moana 2, while Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear replaced Lin-Manuel Miranda as additional songwriters. Cravalho confirmed to IMDb that Johnson sang “all his own stuff” in the forthcoming sequel, saying, “He’s been in vocal sessions. He’s been rehearsing. He is now treating this like a true singer. Sometimes he receives music and lyrics, and I heard this from Kurt, our music supervisor, he’s like ‘You know what, I need to sit on this. I need to understand what this means.'”
What’s the Latest on the Live-Action Moana Remake?
In April 2023, Disney announced that a live-action remake of the 2016 film was in development, with Johnson returning to portray Maui in live-action. Production on the hotly-anticipated remake kicked off on Aug. 2 in Hawaii and Atlanta, under the working title “Canon.” Catherine Lagaʻaia leads the Disney movie as Moana, with John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen rounding out the cast as Chief Tui, Sina, and Gramma Tala, respectively. Moana is currently slated to hit theaters in July 2026.
Moana 2 will be released in movie theaters on Nov. 27, 2024.