Disney is returning to the open ocean this fall with perhaps one of the most highly anticipated films in the history of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Moana 2 hits theaters this Thanksgiving, and it comes on the heels of the first Moana spending the last few years as one of the most-watched movies in all of streaming. The folks behind this Disney sequel know they have to up the ante, and one way in which they’re doing that is through a villain that may pack more surprises than Te Kā.
ComicBook recently went out to Disney Studios to chat with the Moana 2 filmmakers about what their sequel has in store. Director David G. Derrick Jr. and co-directors Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller spoke about various aspects of the film, including a new villain that will potentially catch fans off-guard.
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Miller opened up about a character named Matangi, who is set up to be a villainous figure in the first part of the film. When it comes to Matangi, however, there may be more than meets the eye.
“So Matangi, who’s in the early parts of [the movie], she’s more complicated than she seems,” added Miller. “There’s more to this story, this mysterious figure. But that’s part of what’s exciting about this world. People have an expectation of what it might be, and we have found new and exciting characters that feel very much integral a part of this space, but take on new dimensions we haven’t seen before. “
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Earlier this year, the Moana 2 filmmakers made mention of another new character, Nalo, who could perhaps emerge as the real big bad of the film.
“Nalo realizes that there’s nothing more dangerous than the power of humans,” said Moana 2 executive producer Jennifer Lee. “When they’re together, they can do anything. The world becomes theirs.”
“We’ve talked about how Te Kā was scary, wait until you see this God of Storms,” Derrick told us.
Villains not being what they seem has become something of a theme for Moana across the first two films in the budding franchise. If you remember, the reveal of Te Kā’s true identity was not only a big twist at the end of the first movie, but it also reshaped how you saw all of the film’s events leading up to that point.
Regardless of what roles Matangi and Nalo ultimately play by the time Moana 2 is over, it feels safe to assume that both of them will impact Moana’s world in a substantial way.
Moana 2 is set to hit theaters everywhere on November 27th.