Auli’i Cravalho.Photo:Auli’i Cravalho/Instagram

Moana Star Auli’i Cravalho Confirms She’ll Return for Upcoming Sequel

Auli’i Cravalho/Instagram

The upcomingMoanasequel is keeping its star.

Auli’i Cravalho, who voices the title character in Disney’s smash hit 2016 animated filmMoana, shared a post toInstagramTuesday to confirm she will reprise her role in the studio’srecently announced sequel.

Cravalho, 23, posted a short video of herself striking a pose in front of Disney’s famous Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California, to the social media platform, in which she lip syncs toBeyoncé’s recent single “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

“The feeling when you’re officially returning to Motunui,” Cravahlo wrote in a caption on her video, referring to the fictional Polynesian island the film takes place on. The actress also added in a caption to the post itself, “We’re sailing WAY beyond the reef this November… ❤️🌀🐚 #Moana2.”

Cravalho’s announcement of her return as Moana comes about three weeks after Disney Animation revealedMoana 2willrelease in movie theaters in November. At the time, Cravalho shared the same short teaser the studio released along with the announcement to herInstagram, though her return as Moana’s voice actor was not yet confirmed.

“Moanaremains an incredibly popular franchise, and we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui whenMoana 2comes to theaters this November," Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said in a statement shared Feb. 7. According to a synopsis for the upcoming film,Moana 2"takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers."

“After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced,” the synopsis reads.

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THE OCEAN CALLS – Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic, all-new animated musical “Moana 2” takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. The follow-up to 2016’s Oscar®-nominated film opens in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024. © 2024 Disney. All Rights Reserved.Disney

THE OCEAN CALLS – Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic, all-new animated musical “Moana 2” takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. The follow-up to 2016’s Oscar®-nominated film opens in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024. © 2024 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Disney

Disney’sMoana 2announcement came several months afterDwayne Johnson, who costars inMoanaas Maui, announced in April 2023 that Disney is alsodeveloping a live-action adaptationof the 2016 movie. Johnson will play Maui in the upcoming live-action film, though he has not yet confirmed that he will also voice Maui in the animatedMoanasequel. Cravalho will work on the live-actionMoanaas an executive producer, allowing for Disney to cast a different actor to play the character in the adaptation.

“She has had such a profound impact on how we think of Disney princesses. Moana’s strength and perseverance are inspiring — to audiences around the world, to me and to everyone who helped bring her to life,” Cravalho said ofMoanain a statement issued along with the live-action film’s announcement. “I’m looking forward to sharing her story in a whole new way.”

Moana 2swims into theaters Nov. 27.

source: people.com