The keyword for Oceania 2 is "growth"

It’s been eight years since the release of the first Moana, the story of Vaiana and her journey to save her people. Set on the island of Te Fiti in the middle of the ocean, the Disney animated film was imbued with Samoan culture and enriched by the soundtrack of Lin-Manuel Miranda, with star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson voicing the demigod Maui. It became the most streamed title of 2023. It was therefore inevitable that Disney, after a string of box office flops, would want to ride the wave of Moana’s success, turning the ongoing series production into a true sequel for the big screen. Directed by Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, and Chris Williams in the first film, the sequel will be helmed by Dave G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller. Italian voice actors remain largely unchanged, with the addition of singer Giorgia for the new character Matangi.

Moana 2: Interview with Vaiana’s Voice Actor Emanuela Ionica

"When I stepped into the recording studio for the first time, I started saying my lines, but they stopped me right away. They said, 'No, no, not like that.' I thought, 'What’s happening? Why am I getting it wrong?'" says Emanuela Ionica, who voiced Vaiana in 2016 and has also voiced young Hollywood stars like Elle Fanning and Zendaya. "I didn’t understand until they explained: 'Vaiana has grown up, and so have you.' At first, I thought it was just a technical note. But the truth is that when I first voiced Vaiana, she was a teenager searching for her path. Now, she’s a woman who knows her goal but is figuring out how to achieve it. I’m living the same thing. She’s a character who’s been with us through two very different stages of life, reflecting both."

Chiara Grispo’s Perspective

Ionica reflects on her journey and that of her counterpart in Moana, singer Chiara Grispo, who also returns to Te Fiti to perform the protagonist’s songs in a soundtrack once again curated by Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i, with the addition of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. "I believe strange energies connect us in the universe, and that’s what happened with Vaiana," explains Grispo, who rose to fame on the TV show Amici di Maria De Filippi. "Since the first film, I’ve seen many parallels between me and Vaiana. In the 2016 film, Vaiana ventured beyond the reef against her father’s wishes. At the same time, I had a fight with my dad, left home, and we didn’t talk for almost a year. Later, like Vaiana, we reconnected, and now we have an amazing relationship. I love him dearly."

Vaiana’s Growth Mirrors Her Voice Actors’ Journeys

The similarities between Grispo’s life and Vaiana’s experiences in Moana 2 are striking: "In the sequel, Vaiana has a younger sister who lives far away, just like my sister in America," Grispo continues. "There’s a scene where they reunite, and the sister says, 'You’ve been away too long.' It’s exactly how I feel every time I see my sister. Moreover, the sister places a small star in Vaiana’s necklace to help her remember her. It sounds unbelievable, but my sister’s name is Stella (Star). I couldn’t believe it when I saw the scene. Moana, and now the sequel, mirrors my personal life in many ways, and I feel like we’ve grown together. Seeing Vaiana on the big screen is like seeing a part of myself."

Moana 2: Plot and Meaning

Growth is the word most often used by the two artists, reflecting what happens to Vaiana in Moana 2. Set three years after the first film, the story follows another challenging journey, pushing Vaiana into dangerous, forgotten waters. "Everyone can relate to Vaiana because everyone needs to grow. Growing means making decisions—to give up, let go, or stay and try. Vaiana decides to face her fears, move forward, and be true to herself. That’s something we all experience, which is why it’s so easy to see ourselves in her, especially as she leads with empathy." For Grispo, Vaiana will always have a special place in her heart: "We are the sum of the choices we make," she explains. "It’s a concept I’ve even tattooed: ‘Only you write your future.’ I thought about it a lot while working on Moana 2, and it’s the most important thing to me."