7 Issues Each Disney Fan Wants To Know

“Moana 2” is heading our manner sooner than you belt out “AND NO ONE KNOOOOWS, HOW FAR IT GOOOOES!” and we’ve some particulars on what you may count on concerning the highly-anticipated animated sequel from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Forward of the movie’s launch, /Movie was invited to the animation studios in Burbank, California for an early have a look at the upcoming movie, together with character designs, discussions with the writers and administrators, an informative have a look at the intensive analysis course of that goes into authenticating the story, and a lot extra. Suppose you caught the trailer for “Moana 2” and are eagerly awaiting much more information concerning the continuation of one in every of Disney’s finest animated movies of their historic canon. In that case, we’ve the whole lot you might want to find out about “Moana 2” proper right here.

Along with the entire first-look particulars proven to the journalists invited to the particular occasion, I additionally sat down with Jared Bush (co-writer of this film and chief artistic officer of Walt Disney Animation), David Derrick Jr. (co-director), Jason Hand (co-director), and Dana Ledoux Miller (co-writer, co-director) to listen to extra about how “Moana 2” got here to life, what adjustments had been made between the deliberate collection and the brand new characteristic movie, and the way the primary movie had a large influence on the lives of numerous real-life folks, together with one of many administrators.

There are much more surprises to return past this listing, so hold your eyes on /Movie for extra “Moana 2” goodies forward of the movie’s theatrical debut on November 27, 2024.

Identified for her work on “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “The Hole,” “Designated Survivor,” and the canceled-too-soon “Kevin Can F*** Himself,” Dana Ledoux Miller has been working in Hollywood for fairly a while. Nevertheless, “Moana 2” is her first foray into animation. As a Samoan-American, seeing “Moana” in theaters had a large influence on her and helped her understand that the movie was going to open doorways for extra tales centered on Pacific Islanders. “I did not know in that second that I’d be part of telling Moana’s story ever,” she says. “Like, it did not even appear potential to me.” Miller was writing for TV on the time and was employed to co-write the live-action “Moana” with Jared Bush. Clearly Miller made a terrific impression, as a result of Bush then invited her to work on the animation facet for the at-the-time “Moana” collection as a consulting author.

“I’ve at all times dreamed of with the ability to actually signify my folks and inform tales that had been significant to us,” she says. “And there is actually nothing greater than ‘Moana’ for us proper now.” Miller additionally credit the movie for altering the course of her profession as a storyteller. “My profession has modified as a result of Moana exists on this planet,” she explains. “It was the primary time I noticed anybody that regarded like my household on the display. It adjustments the best way the world sees you.”

“Moana 2” introduces a brand new crop of characters from the island to affix her on her journey, in addition to just a little sister named Simea and a bunch of Moana fangirls often known as the “Moanabes.” In speaking with author Jared Bush, he says the massive personalities of the group had been impressed by one other Disney hit. “I had the good thing about simply having completed ‘Encanto,’ the place we had a really huge solid and also you needed to instantly perceive who every of these characters had been and listen to that voice instantly and have these all separate,” he says. “And having that very high of thoughts for me as we headed into this subsequent story, constructing Moana’s crew, we knew everybody needed to have very distinct personalities, and also you needed these to pop instantly.”

There’s Loto the inventor who, as Bush describes her, “adjustments herself each three seconds,” and is “very completely happy to destroy something within the pursuit of evolution.” Kele is a grumpy outdated farmer who “lives within the grime and he is completely happy within the grime and he is by no means going to vary.” They’re the polar opposites of each other, with Moana balancing within the center. Rounding out the group is Moni, a storyteller who may be Maui’s greatest fan.

However for Moana and her sister Simea, the inspiration got here from director Jason Hand watching his personal youngsters with a giant age hole and desirous to discover that relationship for Moana. “There was a really tough second when [his young son] realized [his eldest daughter] was going to school and never coming again house,” he explains. “That this pillar of pleasure in his life was abruptly not at all times gonna be there.” Moana happening an journey and leaving Simea behind provides a layer of accountability and a relatable expertise for thus many elder siblings.

Hollywood tends to deal with coming-of-age tales completely as highschool movies, however the actuality is that we by no means cease altering. When approaching Moana’s continued story, author Jared Bush needed to emulate the understanding that comes with frequently coming of age. As he tells me:

“I bear in mind distinct moments in my life, definitely graduating from highschool and feeling like, ‘Oh, I perceive who I’m,’ and also you get to the faculty and also you go, ‘Whoa, I do not know something anymore and I’ve to redefine myself,’ and you then go away school and also you go, ‘Wait, I’ve to redefine myself once more?’ after which I bought married after which I had children. I am like, ‘This simply retains altering on a regular basis.'”

Bush says that Moana’s story displays the “common concept that you’re always evolving and studying extra about your self and redefining who you might be and what you will be.” However these adjustments do not imply Moana loses the sense of who she is. “She spent the entire first movie turning into a Wayfinder, understanding that was who she was meant to be, however that is not the top of that story and that is not the top of her story,” he says. “What else can she probably be? What different adventures will she go on? I believe it was a very enjoyable launching level for that story.”

As co-writer/director Dana Ledoux Miller explains, “This primary movie was about Moana reconnecting to the previous and who her folks had been meant to be. This [new] movie is admittedly about Moana wanting in the direction of the long run.” The artistic staff determined that the easiest way to precise that’s by means of Simea. Miller says, “She appears to be like at her sister and he or she thinks, What do I would like the world to be for her?” It additionally what makes the stakes increased for Moana. “The way forward for her folks [is] actually on the road, [and] she has to stroll away from essentially the most significant relationship in her life,” Miller says. “It isn’t simple.”

Co-director David Derrick Jr. jokes, “Yeah, attempt speaking to a three-year-old about like what it means to go away and why.” Little children have huge feelings and primarily function off of them, so Simea is at all times going to be essentially the most brutally trustworthy individual in Moana’s life. However when Moana processes what her journey away from the island would possibly entail, she has to consider extra than simply herself. She’s occupied with her island, her neighborhood, the kids, her sister, and what she’ll should do to take care of the livelihood and the continued legacy of her folks.

Contemplating the specificity of Moana’s tradition and heritage, the Disney staff went above and past to make it possible for the whole lot on display was designed with authenticity and backed by intensive analysis. Disney works with organizations just like the Polynesian Voyaging Society, numerous consultants, Pacific Islanders on employees, and the Oceanic Cultural Belief. Throughout my journey to the Walt Disney Animation Studios for the “Moana 2” preview, journalists on web site had been even given the possibility to study from the Oceanic Cultural Belief concerning the artwork of Celestial Navigation and Wayfinding, to grasp the way it was the Polynesian cultures had been in a position to journey, discover, and uncover new lands with out the help of GPS methods, maps, and even compasses.

“Should you’ve ever even flown from [California] to Hawai’i over that Pacific Ocean, that is not even the longest trek that they took,” explains David Derrick Jr. “They usually had been in a position to do this by means of this unimaginable artwork and spirituality of wayfinding.” Through the use of the celestial our bodies, the motion of waves, and the path of wind, Wayfinders may journey wherever. “To listen to the tales from folks that truly do this right now was unimaginable, and we simply needed to get it proper,” Derrick Jr. says.

“Moana 2” was initially conceived as a collection, however from what everybody at Disney tells me, it was the story that urged the Home of Mouse to think about a theatrical pivot. “The transfer from a collection to a characteristic isn’t one thing that we have completed earlier than,” says Jared Bush. Happily, given how a lot strain testing and reconfiguring goes on through the characteristic manufacturing course of, modifying the story from a collection to a movie wasn’t all that completely different from planning a characteristic from the get-go. Initially, every of the facet characters had been going to get their very own episode to spotlight their particular person journeys, so scaling again these tales into a satisfying arc inside a single film was the most important shift.

“I believe that was in all probability the most important shift for us is we retained all these arcs,” says Bush. “We simply had all of them repay on the finish of the film versus all through the story.” Contemplating the relative newness of Disney+, that is the primary time a deliberate collection has switched gears to a characteristic movie. If “Moana 2” performs properly within the theaters, this might additionally pave the best way for Disney to observe swimsuit on completely different initiatives sooner or later.

Should you had been a fan of Pua the pig and Heihei the rooster from the primary movie, the excellent news is that each of those animal sidekicks are returning. In even higher information, Pua is lastly making it onto the water this time! The “Moana” creators heard the complaints from followers loud and clear that the folks needed extra Pua, and that is precisely what we’re getting. “Everybody so badly needed Pua to be on the canoe final time and having the chance to do this, I believe it was actually enjoyable for folks,” says Jared Bush. “Pua isn’t nice on the market on that canoe. This isn’t one thing he needs to be doing in any respect, and watching him attempt to discover his bravery, I believe, is a very enjoyable story arc for him, too.”

“Moana 2” arrives in theaters on November 27, 2024.