Moana is the most-watched Disney+ film of all time. On Thursday, November 28th, 2024, Moana 2 was released in cinemas. The animated sequel takes the Polynesian heroine back to sea three years after the events of Part 1. This time, however, an entire crew accompanies her on the ship’s journey, so that in addition to old friends like Maui and Hahn Heihei, new allies, enemies and animals also appear on the scene.
As part of Moviepilot’s behind-the-scenes visit to Walt Disney Animation Studios, we spoke to the three people who shared the director’s chair for Moana 2: David G. Derrick Jr., Dana Ledoux Miller and Jason Hand. All of them were directing a film for the first time, but they had been working at Disney for a long time. As an animator, Jason Hand, for example, gave the first film a demigod with a shark head and created the iconic sloth scene in Zootopia. The three shared with us their earliest Disney memories and which hidden details in the sequel they are particularly proud of.
The directing trio of Moana 2 in an interview: Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand and David G. Derrick Jr.
What is your personal first Disney memory?
Jason Hand: My father took me to the cinema to see The Jungle Book. It was a special experience and I loved it: the film, the characters, the animals!
Dana Ledoux Miller: Now I almost made a joke at your expense because I’m “a little” younger. [alle lachen]
[Anm. d. Redaktion: Disneys Das Dschungelbuch erschien 1967.] But joking aside, I remember watching The Little Mermaid [1989] in the cinema – and then sang every song on the soundtrack as loudly as possible. Which, by the way, my 4 year old is doing now. I love that it all comes full circle.
David G. Derrick Jr.: The Lion King [1994] probably left the biggest impression on me. The film spoke to me.
Most animated films have more than one director. For Moana 2 there were three of you. How does this work? Do you decide everything together? Does everyone have specialties? Do you sometimes not know how to decide something?
Jason Hand: All of it is true. Just that we always agree. [alle lachen] No, of course I’m joking. But the story drives everything. And once we all understand what that is and once we agree on it, we can all go into different departments. But we have the common denominator that the story is always the most important. To be honest, it takes a long time to get to this point.
Dana Ledoux Miller: It’s really nice to have partners. We have a massive crew of over 700 people. We are working long days to complete this film. Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and ask yourself: “Have I made the right decision?” Then a sound box [in Form von Regie-Kollegen] It’s really great to have. It also allows us to share the joy of watching the film slowly come together.
Can you tell me a detail that you are looking for? in Moana 2
are particularly proud of, but that most people probably overlook when they go to the cinema for the first time?
Dana Ledoux Miller:Oh! [denkt nach] So we have this character, Loto, who is our engineer. She is a bit headstrong and always thinks outside the box. She has a few special moments in the film. It’s best to keep a close eye on her: the way she observes others and reacts to their ways is real comedy gold.
David G. Derrick Jr.: I have something too! We’re introducing a few new animals to Moana 2. We already have Heihei, who is probably the dumbest chicken in cinema history. But now we’re leading mudskippers [im Englischen: Mudskipper] one, the still are stupider. And in one scene, during a big Maui song, 27,000 mudskippers perform! Which is completely crazy.
Jason Hand: Yes, that’s crazy.
Dana Ledoux Miller: Are there enough? I’m not sure. [alle lachen]
Jason Hand: Speaking of the new characters: the storyteller Moni creates these incredible drawings and always brings himself into the story of Maui and Moana. If you look closely at these drawings, there is a lot of humor hidden in them: in one, for example, Maui Moni is riding like a surfboard. You have to look closely and maybe watch the film several times to find all these details.
Dana Ledoux Miller: This is the earliest fan fiction!
Moana goes through a lot of character development in Part 1 and now in the 2nd film. Have you talked about whether there was still development potential for a third part?
Dana Ledoux Miller: I would say everyone should first go see Moana 2 in the cinema this fall and we really need some sleep. [lacht]
David G. Derrick Jr.: Yes, we really need that.