8 years after first adventure beyond the reef, Moana and friends set sail for new voyage

Disney’s “Moana 2” officially opened Wednesday in movie theaters nationwide, as part of the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday weekend blockbuster lineup.

It’s been 8 years since the original “Moana” was released, and moviegoers have eagerly awaited new adventures that abound beyond the reef for the title character and her voyaging friends.

Moana, voice of Auliʻi Cravalho who was born in Kohala on the Big Island and celebrated her 24th birthday Nov. 22, set sail in 2016 as Disney’s first “princess” of Polynesian descent. But in “Moana 2,” the chiefess asserts that she’s “still not a princess,” only to be challenged by Maui, voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who replies: “Well, a lot of people think you are.”

With self discovery the focus of the first movie, Moana emerges with confidence and determination in the 2024 sequel, tasked with ensuring a future for her people.

“If I could only choose one thing that I’m excited for people to see in ‘Moana 2’ is the real sense of Polynesian pride and community that this film really embodies,” said Cravalho in an interview with Disney Animation during the movie’s premiere on Oʻahu.

“If our last film was about connecting with the past, this one was about connecting with the future, and Moana’s going even further beyond the reef to connect everyone across the entire Pacific. I’m so grateful that we have more story to tell.”

The new film, set 3 years after the events of the first, reunites Moana with Maui for a new curse-breaking journey to reconnect the people throughout the ocean by finding Motufetu, an ancient island where channels of different islands are known to converge.

“What makes Maui larger than life in ‘Moana 2’ is he thinks of others before himself,” said Johnson during the Oʻahu premiere.

Johnson also attended a private screening of the movie Nov. 22 on Maui at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center before jetting off to London to continue the film’s tour.

The larger-than-life, shape-shifting demigod helps Moana “level up” and go after her destiny. On the way, Moana is advised that there’s always another way to get where you need to go, “even if you have to get lost to find it.”

Before departing, Moana takes part in an awa ceremony, where she is bestowed with a title previously held by her respected ancestor Tautai Vasa. It’s a special detail that co-director David Derrick Jr. told Island City TV was intentional in specificity, allowing Polynesian people to be seen as who they are.

More details surface that celebrate the diverse cultures of Polynesia, including the honor of earning a tattoo and using ancestral knowledge to guide decisions.

“I have to say, I do not own ‘Moana’ — we own ‘Moana,'” Cravalho said during the Hawaiʻi premiere. “‘Moana’ is a celebration for all of us — from Tonga to Tahiti to Hawaiʻi to Aotearoa to Samoa, from the Pacific islands to being Polynesian to Micronesian to Melanesian. This is for us.”

Johnson also addressed premiere attendees, thanking Disney “for the belief in us and in our people and in our culture,” speaking about how the movie celebrates Polynesian backgrounds, including Cravalho’s Native Hawaiian and his Samoan heritages.

He added that “Moana 2” brings joy to the world and highlights how important the idea of looking “beyond the reef” really is: “Dream big. Work hard.”

The movie is playing today at the following theaters and times on the Big Island:

“Moana 2” hits the big screen on Kauaʻi in 2 weeks, with showtimes starting Dec. 13 at the historic Waimea Theater.