It’s safe to say tons of fans (such as myself) were waiting impatiently on the edge of the sea for the sequel to Moana, given it just became one of the biggest 2024 movies over the Thanksgiving holiday with its record-breaking box office achievements. But something that I wasn’t expecting to appreciate so much about Moana 2 is getting the chance to see the animated character grow and mature. When CinemaBlend spoke to the princess’s voice actress, Auli’i Cravalho, she talked with us about how meaningful it was to her to make Disney history.
When 2016’s Moana came out, it was clear the character stands out among Disney Princesses for many reasons, but now that she has returned, I told the actress how grateful I am to witness the heroine grow older. Here’s how she responded:
This is the first time in Disney history that a Disney princess has been allowed to age. I was cast when I was 14. I turn 24 tomorrow. So I’ve had a decade with this character and admittedly my voice has changed. I have aged and so I of course remember doing the film at 15. The film coming out when I was 16.
Being Moana has been a decade-long adventure for Auli’i Cravalho, who was chosen out of hundreds of other hopefuls for the role. She, of course, recalls the entire journey thus far (including a flirty comment her mom made when she met The Rock), but her voice has definitely changed since voicing the role the first time. As she continued:
But, I’ve also done multiple records for firework shows and for Disney on Ice and Disney Lego Princess. And I always pitch my voice back up and I was wondering for this sequel, if I would have to do the same for the entirety of an hour and 30 minute long movie. But they allowed me to keep my voice in its natural register. I feel like we see her growth not only through my voice, but also through storyline and through music as well. And, it’s so nice to see women age.
Auli’i Cravalho hasn’t stopped voicing the role of Moana since she made the movie, lending her voice to all sorts of tie-ins with Disney, but as she explained, over the years she often brings up her vocal register to sound like she did as a teenager. However, for Moana 2, which has the character as 19 rather than 16, she was awarded the opportunity to stay true to her changed vocal range and use her true voice. She pointed out in our interview that this is the first time we’ve seen a female Disney age between films, and it means a lot to her.
As I shared with the actress, I watched the original movie after seeing the sequel, and it was rather emotional to hear the differences between her Moana now and her Moana then, because I could tell the actress’ voice has matured and grown. As a Disney fan who grew up loving Disney Princesses, they always seemed to stay at their teen ages even if there was some form of followup. It’s just so refreshing for fans of the movies to get to grow up alongside the iconic character, isn’t it?
With Moana 2 in theaters you can check out what Auli’i Cravalho and the filmmakers said from our interviews about what the movie’s ending means for the future of the heroine and the big callback to the original that gave one director “goosebumps.”