The latest of the upcoming Disney movies is almost here, as the Moana 2 release date soon approaches, and I cannot wait to see another story starring Disney’s Polynesian princess. When CinemaBlend attended a press day at Walt Disney Animation Studios, I saw the first half an hour of the movie and learned a lot about what’s on the horizon for Moana next. One major point of excitement is the introduction of a new character: her sister, Simea. The filmmakers behind the sequel shared their personal reasons for her arrival in the storyline, and now I’m more pumped for the movie.
Not unlike Riley aging up for this summer’s blockbuster Pixar movie, Inside Out 2, when we reunite with Moana later this month, she will be three years older. In the time since the end of the first movie, the arrival of a baby sister has changed her life because not only is she basically Moana's shadow, she completely idolizes her. So when Moana has to travel across the seas again, the princess is faced with not wanting to disappoint or desert her little sis. During my interview with the Moana 2 directors, David Derrick Jr. said this about how Simea was thought up:
We draw from our own experiences, and early on, I was drawing from my own life. My eldest daughter's name's Simea, she's 21 years old. And, we have a younger son, Quentin, who's only seven years old, and the two of them are so close. There's just a love and connection that I had never seen between siblings of that age gap. So, to give Moana a little sister for me, like really made it possible for Moana to be rooted in Motunui, see a love that she didn't have before and show how things have grown and changed. And, I also love how Simea can speak to the future of her people.
How sweet is that? Derrick Jr., who has his own Samoan roots, has a daughter with the same name, but it was her relationship with his much younger son that inspired this new relationship in Moana 2. Derrick serves as co-director with Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller on the sequel that began as a Disney+ series before the creatives decided it would be better served as a theatrical sequel to the beloved 2016 movie instead.
Along with Derrick Jr’s words about how Moana’s little sister Simea first became a character, Hand shared in a Q&A at Walt Disney Animation Studios that day about another key reason why the character will be important. In the co-director’s words:
I think the other thing is we're all parents. I think anyone who is a parent or you have a sibling that means so much to you [can relate]. Moana can say all day long how important this is for the future of her people, but when you're a three-year-old and you're hearing that your sister may never come back, none of that matters actually. And that's really hard for Moana because she cares so deeply. So to put her in this dilemma where she knows how important that is, and frankly, the future of her people includes her little sister. But logic isn't part of a three-year-old brain. It's all emotion. And so, that's a really tricky thing for Moana to have to contend with.
While Moana was new to adventures and leading her people when she was 16 in Moana, I’m hyped that the sequel will explore some deep themes regarding how family can change one’s perspective as a person, and place more pressure on growth and maturity. During my time with the filmmakers, they also teased deciding to have Pua on the canoe with Moana this time around after fans wanted to see more of the adorable pig.
So much about this Disney sequel has me excited to see Moana’s next adventure! The movie hits theaters on November 27.
