Moana 2 made a splash at the Annecy Animation Festival as the highly anticipated sequel from Walt Disney Animation Studios revealed exclusive footage, music and storyboard art during its presentation Friday.
Directors David Derrick Jr. and Jason Hand took the stage to introduce the sequences and give new details about the film’s story and characters. Hitting theaters Nov. 27, the movie is a follow-up to the 2016 original and features the return of Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as demigod Maui, alongside fellow returning voice performers Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk.
“In Moana 2, her journey must take her to waters far beyond where any person has ventured,” Hand told the audience about the new movie’s storyline.
Derrick added, “We begin our story with Moana, three years after the first film. She’s exploring the seas, searching for new islands, mapping the ocean, hoping to find other people. As the people of Motunui have not seen anyone for generations, Moana knows that the ocean connects us. But to whom? Where are they? She’s looking for proof that others are out there. She’s curious why she hasn’t found anyone.”
Among the still-in-progress footage shared was the film’s opening song, which is an original number from Moana 2 songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. During the song, Moana heads home to her village after making a stunning discovery.
Another segment from the film shows Moana taking part in a ceremony that is dramatically interrupted by a bolt of lightning. “That can’t be good,” Derrick, who also wrote the film’s script, quipped about the tense moment.
The artwork and footage provided exclusive looks at new characters, including Moana’s younger sister and the members of Moana’s crew, which has expanded beyond rooster Heihei and pig Pua. This includes Moni, described in the presentation as the “island’s most passionate storyteller” and obsessed with Maui, who is absent to start the sequel.
Scenes involving Heihei and Moni were among those to be greeted with laughter from the crowd.
Also returning from the first film are members of the feared though diminutive Kakamora tribe, whom Moana faces in a tense encounter teased during the panel.
Derrick and Hand helmed Moana 2 alongside co-director Dana Ledoux Miller, who was not in attendance. Serving as producers on the project, which began its path as a streaming series before evolving into a feature film, are Christina Chen and Yvett Merino.
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