‘I’ve gone far beyond the reef’: Auli‘i Cravalho on growing with ‘Moana’
Auli‘i Cravalho was 14 when she was first cast as Disney’s “Moana.”
It was a role that not only launched her career but also gave voice to a generation of Pacific Islanders. Now 24, Cravalho has picked up her sails and ventured far beyond the reef, starring in projects like “The Little Mermaid Live!” (2019), “Crush” (2022) and “Mean Girls” (2024).
Yet, no matter how far she goes, she never fails to return to her shore.
“This started my career. I’ve gone far beyond the reef thanks to [Moana],” Cravalho tells NextShark. “I know that I have changed. Growth is shown even through her voice, but she’s impacted me so much. I will never not give flowers back to Disney for first and foremost, putting my culture on a screen like this. Navigation is a part of indigenous knowledge to the Pacific that is so important to see on screen, and stories of how Maui pulled islands up from out of the sea and slowed down the sun — we own those. They’re ours first and foremost, but it’s great to see them on a larger scale, so that more people know, hey, we’re great, you know?”
In “Moana 2,” the sequel to Disney’s hit 2016 animated film, Moana reunites with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) for a new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors. Together, they journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters to break a god’s curse on the hidden island of Motufetu, which once connected the people of the ocean.
This time, Moana has become a master navigator, spending days at sea as she explores the open ocean. Her journey is not without challenges though, as her younger sister Simea tugs at her heartstrings, urging her to stay closer to home.
“I feel so grateful to be coming back for a sequel. It’s never guaranteed,” Cravalho says. “But what I’m also specifically happy about is that Moana is the first Disney princess to be allowed to age.”
“Moana 2” welcomes new characters, including Moana’s crew, who helps her navigate uncharted waters to ensure a brighter and more connected future for the people of the Polynesian island of Motunui. Among these newcomers are Kaylee, a skilled farmer tasked with sustaining the crew; Lotto, an engineer who designs and improves their canoe; and Moni, an oral historian and storyteller who preserves the crew’s collective knowledge.
“We specifically chose characters that would push on Moana and force her to grow,” director David Derrick Jr. tells NextShark. “But also, we wanted to show that you can go further together than you can alone. And the people of the Pacific found the last discoverable land on Earth. They were the greatest voyagers ever. And to do that, we wanted characters that could showcase the indigenous genius that it took.”
When it came to creating new villains and challenges, director Dana Ledoux Miller shares that a key theme in “Moana 2” is connection, with the ocean symbolizing how people are linked across the Pacific. To challenge Moana’s courage and resilience, they explored the idea of disconnection. Drawing inspiration from Pacific stories of gods and demigods with differing desires for humanity, they created an epic storm that serves as a metaphorical and literal obstacle, forcing Moana to overcome it to fulfill her ancestors’ call.
Since its theatrical release on Nov. 27, “Moana 2” has shattered numerous box office records, including the biggest five-day opening of all time, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with $204.6 million. It also claimed the titles for the biggest Thanksgiving debut and Thanksgiving weekend (both three-day and five-day), the highest-ever Thanksgiving Day gross and a record-breaking $54.5 million on Black Friday. The film is now officially the biggest debut in Walt Disney Animation Studios history.
But beyond these groundbreaking achievements, the filmmakers and voice actors hope the sequel achieves something more enduring: a meaningful representation for Pacific Islanders.
Reflecting on the legacy of representation, Hualālai Chung, who voices Moni, says, “When we were growing up, we watched films like ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Mulan’ and these films that depicted a culture or a community from all over the world. Being Pacific Islander, we didn’t have that. So now, we have the story of ‘Moana.’ And the thing that’s so fulfilling is that so many audiences and so many communities really resonate with her story because she’s about community. She’s about serving. She’s about believing in yourself and idealizing how far you can go — not to be punny, right? But, you know, I think that’s something that shines so bright in the film, and that’s something that everybody really has fallen in love with.”
Derrick Jr. expresses pride in building on the impact of the first “Moana” by expanding its world and deepening cultural representation. He highlighted the contributions of the Oceanic Cultural Trust, a group of experts from across the Pacific who ensured that the story authentically reflected the region’s heritage.
Miller also shares her hopes for the next generation, noting, “I hope Pacific Islander kids out there see themselves in these stories, and they see what’s possible for them, that they can go out and make a Disney movie one day.”
Watch NextShark’s full interview with the filmmakers, voice actors and songwriters below:
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