Moana 2 producer and co-director preview the sequel’s big new villain Nalo
Disney fans will finally have the chance to return to the world of Moana when the long-awaited Moana 2 hits theaters later this year, and all of your favorites are back in action. What isn’t the same however is the threat they will face, as Moana 2 will introduce a fearsome new villain by the name of Nalo to challenge our heroes. Nalo sees humans as capable of anything when they are united, though in his eyes that’s not a good thing. Nalo sees an ever-present threat when humans are able to band together, and the exploration of those themes and the importance of community and connection are major parts of the film. In a new interview with EW, Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee, and Co-Director Dana Ledoux Miller tease just how dangerous Nalo is and what Moana and her allies will need to do to take him down.
A New Threat
Nalo is described as a substantially more fearsome threat than what Moana has faced before, and that ties into the themes of community and connection that the film looks to highlight. “Nalo realizes that there’s nothing more dangerous than the power of humans,” Lee said. “When they’re together, they can do anything. The world becomes theirs.”
Moana 2 also looks to highlight aspects of Pacific Islander culture, including one core tenant in the importance of community. This time around Moana is heading out with the blessing of her people, which is quite different than when she left in the first movie, but she is also heading out to find others to connect with,
“There’s sometimes a misconception about the Pacific that we are all disconnected because we’re these tiny islands across the sea,’ Miller said, who is Samoan American. “But really we are connected by the ocean. We are community-focused, and that is the core foundation of who we are. It was such a natural progression to me because even in the first film, Moana is so a part of her community. It also feels very timely to talk about how important it is to rely on each other and come together.”
From TV to the Big Screen
At one point this project was supposed to be a television series, but a revaluation of the scope of the project led to it being switched to a feature film. The good news is that all of the attention to detail in developing these characters in a longer form series was beneficial to the film version as well.
“We get to crank up all our favorite parts of them,” Miller said. “From all of the grumpiness of one character to the eccentricities of another character, we have the most fun in the time that we have. That’s what really makes them all pop – when we see them, they really shine.”
Moana 2 hits theaters on November
