Auli’i Cravalho Teases ‘Moana’ Future: “Just the Beginning”

“Stay tuned, we’re only getting started.”

Those were the prophetic words of Moana franchise star Auli’i Cravalho at D23 today in a sit-down chat about the upcoming sequel Moana 2.

While there was no specific chatter today out of two Moana panels about an animated threequel per se, it wouldn’t be a shocker if Moana 3 happens.

Original animated films are hard to break with an audience and as Iger took over the reins from former CEO Bob Chapek, the conglomerate’s mission has been to re-establish Disney’s former box office glory. No more is that evident in animated sequels: Incredibles 3 was announced yesterday at D23, and this summer, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 became the highest grossing animated movie of all-time with $1.56 billion.

Moana scribe Jared Bush touched briefly today at D23 on his and Dana Ledoux Miller’s involvement in the live-action take of the 2016 blockbuster which grossed over $643M worldwide and earned two Oscar noms. Bush did mention that musical sequels are hard to crack, but they found a way into Moana.

Last night Cravalho made a splash with Moana 2’s Maui himself, Dwayne Johnson, at Disney D23’s Honda Center film presentation with another trailer dropped. Earlier today the actress and the filmmakers hit the Anaheim Convention Center trade floor to stoke fans about the next chapter about the Polynesian strong-willed daughter.

In Moana 2, Moana believes that more of her people live out in the horizon of the sea as she heeds the call of wayfinding ancestors. She embarks on another journey in Oceania, with of course, demigod Maui, by her side.

In the sequel, Moana is older and wiser, and that was an attribute which resonated with Cravalho.

“The film is so reflective of its time now that we’re in a moment of true womanhood and strength and what it means to journey on in your own power,” said the actress who returned to voice Moana promptly after Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the Disney+ series was being turned into a feature sequel.

“I feel like this film allowed me to tap into parts of myself,” said Cravalho.

The actress shared with D23 attendees how at the age of 15, she wasn’t fully aware of the production process for a large-sized animated movie, and for her to go to the studio now and witness the final stretch, “I’m humbled” she said.

The movie has always been a definite source of pride for Cravalho given her Hawaiian roots; a Disney princess movie in which “a woman wasn’t afraid to go beyond the reef,” not to mention “we don’t need a prince to save us.”

Cravalho told the crowd that the first movie is used in school curriculums in the state to teach people about the native Hawaiian language.

Before Cravalho’s chat today, Moana 2 filmmakers David G. Derrick Jr, Jason Hand and co-scribe/director Ledoux Miller gathered with the pic’s Bush and producer Christina Chen to talk up more of the sequel.

Said Bush about taking a stab at a musical part-two, “There’s not a lot of sequels to musicals. And the reason for that is because in a musical, your main character has a dream, sings about that dream and accomplishes something. We needed to figure out for this movie, what is next for Moana? It was her trying to understand herself. There was something inside of her that she wasn’t able to be fulfilled. There was this life out there that she wanted to pursue, but she really loved her island. How does she put those things together? So, finding herself was really important. There is still a lot left for her to discover about herself.”

Not addressed at either sit-down today was how the sequel was spawned from its origins as a Disney+ series. Already, as seen in the trailer, the movie’s CGI has been beefed up for natural elements such as ocean waves.

Bush was asked by a fan about the live-action version of Moana, which also stars Dwayne Johnson as Maui. That production was delayed as Moana 2 was prioritized by Iger. Originally dated for July 2, 2025, the live-action Moana was pushed to July 10, 2026 on the theatrical release calendar. In the live-action take, Cravalho won’t reprise the title role, rather, young star Catherine Laga’aia is stepping in to play Moana.

Bush told fans that he and Ledoux Miller are across both the live-action version and the animated takes. He hinted that with the live-action version “sometimes changes have to be made” from the original animated movie.

“It’s an exciting experience to watch both of these things happen,” the writer added while staying mum.

Moana 2 opens on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Source: Deadline