“Moana” Star Auli’i Cravalho Shares Excitement As Film Becomes Franchise

Moana star Auli’i Cravalho is all for the movie becoming a franchise now, as she explained to Variety at last night’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

What’s Happening:

  • Auli’i Cravalho, voice of the titular hero from the 2016 Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Moana, stopped to talk along the red carpet at her first SAG Awards last night, and explained how happy she is to see the Moana universe growing while saying how she loves that “Moana is a hero to all.”
  • Earlier this month, Walt Disney Animation Studios surprised everyone with the announcement that their original Moana series that had been set for Disney+ was now turning into a theatrical release – Moana 2.
  • Cravalho is slated to reprise her role as one of Disney’s newest heroines for the sequel, which is due in theaters this November.
  • Moana 2 will take audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new 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.
  • The sequel will be directed by Dave Derrick, with music from the duo of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, as well as Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, returning from the original animated feature. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome,” is not slated to return.
  • Cravalho is also serving as an Executive Producer on a live-action adaptation of the film, though she told Variety that she “could feel Mickey Mouse breathing down my neck” and didn’t say much more about the project.
  • Back when the live-action adaptation was announced, it was also revealed that she would not return to portray the titular hero, passing it along to someone new for the live-action adaptation.
  • Moana 2 is due in theaters on November 27th.

What They’re Saying:

  • Auli’i Cravalho: It feels like the Moana universe is expanding and I love that.I love that Moana is a hero to all. It changed what it meant to be a Disney princess. You can be strong and brave and stand up against a demigod. It feels really good that more and more generations are going to be able to relate to this character.”

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.