Moana 2 Directors on Turning a Disney+ Show Into a Movie and Designing the Perfect Moana Antagonist

Moana 2The film’s directors teased the direction, shape, and elegant details of Disney’s upcoming sequel. Building on the massive global success of 2016 Moana, Moana 2 brings back the titular wayfinder and sets her on a new journey across the seas. Traveling alongside old friends like Maui, as well as some new faces from her home village, Moana finds herself faced with the wrath of the gods, along with a mysterious figure who believes in a future very different from the one Moana seeks to secure.

Starting life as a Disney+ series, the next Moana 2 is shaping up to be one of the biggest family films of the year. During a visit to Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California, members of the press (including Screen Rant) had the opportunity to check out the first act of the film and see some behind-the-scenes elements of the film. Screen Rant also spoke with the film’s directors – Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller and David Derrick Jr. – to discuss expanding the show’s scope into a theatrical film and the key to development Moana 2is the villain.

Building on Moana’s success for Moana 2

“[We wanted to bring in] a bunch of new characters, and then just push and go as far as we can.”

Screen Rant: I wanted to start with the size of the first Moana. The film is so big, the music is so big, the impact it had culturally was so big. As filmmakers, what was it like stepping into a sequel like Moana 2 and said, ‘Okay, now we can just get over this’?

David Derrick Jr.: Honestly, that’s the amazing part of this project. The first movie was so big, but we really wanted to take these characters that everyone knows and loves, Maui and Moana, and put them on a new journey. [We wanted to bring in] a bunch of new characters, and then really pushing and going as far as we can.

Jason Hand: I mean, we all work Moana out of [the movies]. We love this world. We love these characters. And so for me it was another gift to return to this world, return to these characters and continue a story.

Dana Ledoux Miller: It’s been eight years since the first film and technology has changed – which has helped us have an even greater scope. The water and the hair in Moana were iconic new additions to the world of animation. It’s only gotten better since then. I’m so excited for everyone to see the rich exuberance of this world again, but also return to the world of Moana to embark on a new adventure. We didn’t let her get away for anything. So it’s really exciting and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.

The key to making an ideal villain for Moana 2

“Everyone really wants to do what’s right with their story and make it bigger and more exciting.”

We received some teases from the film’s villain. I know you can’t go into too much detail, but what was it like trying to find that ideal antagonist and foil for Moana?

Dana Ledoux Miller: I think it really starts with trying to determine what the themes of this film are, what we really want to say. A lot of what we wanted to say was about connection, this idea in the Pacific that the ocean is what connects us, not what separates us. As we thought about who [Moana’s] antagonist could be, we start to think what is the opposite of connection? It’s disconnection. What does it mean to be isolated? It was from then on that we really started to think about who the enemy would be.

Honestly, it’s visually stunning what our effects and lighting team have put together. Every day I walk into these departments to do reviews and I think, ‘I mean, I know we asked you to do this, but this is cooler than I could have ever imagined on my own.’ That’s one of the benefits of working with the best artists in the world who have their own high standards and their own passion for Moana. Everyone really wants to do what’s right with their story and make it bigger and more exciting than the first adventure.

Turning the Moana Disney+ Series into a Moana 2 Feature Film

Moana 2 It was originally going to be a Disney+ series before changing direction to become a feature film. What was that process like of taking these characters that were designed to be developed over an entire season and tweaking them to work as a single film?

Jason Hand: Because we focused on each of these team members in the series format, we got to know them and understand what makes them tick, where they’re the funniest, where they can be the most emotional. When we moved to feature film format, it was about how all of this fits into the lens of Moana and her journey.

Dana Ledoux Miller: The film is really about the sequel to Moana [evolution a sa leader]. In the first film, she left alone, except for Heihei. But Heihei is his thing [Laughter]. We wanted to explore what kind of leader Moana is when she has a team that she is responsible for. It’s one thing to be in the ocean taking care of yourself and a chicken and a demigod with some problems.

It’s a completely different thing to have a bunch of other people that you’re responsible for, who may not be as experienced as you, but who bring other really valuable gifts to the journey. Part of learning who Moana is is learning who she is as a leader under the greatest possible risks. As someone who never gives up and is fiercely independent, it is a test to have to answer directly to and for other people when lives are at stake.

David Derrick Jr.: It’s a lot of fun, honestly. We have so much entertainment that comes from… like, Moni is a huge Maui superfan. He has all this knowledge as a storyteller. Loto is an amazing genius engineer, but he’s always trying to fix things in the canoe while sailing the canoe, which isn’t the best idea.

Then there is Kele, who brings food and keeps everyone fed. He is an incredible indigenous genius, capable of transporting these plants across the entire ocean, but he has never been to the ocean before. He loves dirt! It’s funny, but it also gives a lot of richness to the story and the heart.

What makes Moana special and the big surprises in Moana 2

“It’s really her love for others and her ability to relate to others that makes her so special.”

Less than a decade after the original film debuted, Moana has become a Disney icon. Given the experience you’ve all had exploring this character, what separates Moana from the Disney pantheon?

Dana Ledoux Miller: Your empathy. Early on, when I started working with Jared Bush, he said that Moana’s only superpower is her empathy. What an amazing superpower to have. It’s truly her love for others and her ability to relate to others that makes her so special. Plus, she’s amazing.

David Derrick Jr.: She never gives up either. This empathy means she never gives up. That is an admirable quality. I think that’s why she’s such an iconic character, honestly.

What would you say was the biggest surprise you encountered during the production of Moana 2?

Dana Ledoux Miller: I would say the biggest surprise for me was how deep we were able to take his friendship with Maui. We really took it to new levels while still maintaining that kind of ridiculous, fun banter between them. They’re still the characters we fell in love with in the first film, but this friendship they formed in that first film has changed them in unexpected ways and taken them places I really don’t think anyone has seen. our audience sees it coming.

Jason Hand: I would say the same.

David Derrick Jr.: I think by the end of the film she changed significantly. The fact that we were able to do that in this film was so surprising to me, and how incredible it feels when we finally get to the end. It’s a different Moana than we’ve seen before, and I think it’s going to be really exciting for our audience to see.

Moana 2 opens in theaters on November 27th.

Source: Rant Plus Screen