Auli’i Cravalho thinks 'Moana 2' celebrates "true womanhood and strength".
Auli’i Cravalho is back for Moana 2
The 23-year-old actress - who first voiced the titular Disney princess when she was just 14 back in 2016 - has returned to voice the character again in the highly-anticipated sequel and she told how the empowering plot allowed her to "tap into" her own self with her alter ego older and wiser now.
Speaking at D23, she said: “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.
“I feel like this film allowed me to tap into parts of myself."
Auli'i also teased the possibility of a third film in the series further down the line.
She said: “Stay tuned, we’re only getting started.”
Meanwhile, 'Moana' writer Jared Bush admitted it was a challenge to come up with ideas for a sequel but he's happy with the plot that's been crafted.
He said: “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.”
The project was originally set to be a TV series, but Bob Iger was so impressed with the footage that the decision was made to go with a feature film theatrical release.
The movie will see Moana head out on another journey in Oceania, accompanied by demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), as she heeds the call of her wayfinding ancestors to find more of her people.
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