Actor Dwayne Johnson, who voices the tattooed demigod Maui in Disney Animation’s Moana film franchise, received a standing ovation at Disney’s D23 expo on Saturday after unveiling the trailer for Moana 2, set to hit theatres on November 27.
The presentation for Moana 2 kicked off with Auli’i Cravalho, who voices Moana, performing We’re Back, a new original song for the film. She was accompanied on stage by dancers and drummers from Nonosina Polynesia, led by Tiana Liufau, who also contributed animation reference choreography to both the films. Johnson, too, danced on the stage alongside Cravalho.
Moana 2 is set three years after the events of the 2016 Oscar-nominated original. The sequel follows Moana and her crew as they embark on a quest to find the lost island of Motufetu, a once-connected part of the ocean now hidden by a jealous God of Storms.
In the trailer, Moana takes on the role of a big sister as she guides her three-year-old sibling Simea. As the leader of both land and sea, she searches nearby islands for signs of other people, eventually confronting a mysterious new enemy surrounded by bats and shrouded in purple light. “You will be destroyed, and your way finder too,” the villain ominously warns Moana and Maui.
The trailer also features the return of the Kakamora coconut tribe, who are seen shooting blow darts at Moana.
This time, directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, who also co-wrote the script with Jared Bush, are at the helm, taking over from original Moana directors John Musker and Ron Clements.
The voice cast for Moana 2 includes Temuera Morrison as Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Rose Matafeo as Loto, David Fane as Kele, Hualālai Chung as Moni, and Alan Tudyk as Heihei.
The original Moana was a major success for Disney, grossing over USD 680 million worldwide. The film earned two Oscar nominations, one for Best Animated Feature and the other for Best Original Song with How Far I’ll Go.