Auli’i Cravalho is headed back to the ocean and the magic of Motunui in Disney’s upcoming and long-awaited sequel, Moana 2.
The 23-year-old Mean Girls star — who first voiced the titular Disney princess and adventurer in 2016, when she was 14 — confirmed the news that she’d be reprising her voice role in an Instagram post she shared on Tuesday.
Cravalho shared a video of herself smiling in front of the iconic Walt Disney Animation Studios building in Burbank, California, as she lip-syncs to Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and gleefully places a yellow plumeria flower in her hair.
“The feeling when you’re officially returning to Motunui,” Cravalho teased in text over the video.
She further confirmed her participation in the caption, writing, “We’re sailing WAY beyond the reef this November…”
Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed earlier this month that the feature-length sequel to the Oscar-nominated animated film is in the works and will be released in November.
“Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise,” Iger said in a press release, “and we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theaters this November.”
The announcement also came with a first-look image of Moana and Maui on a boat, tracking a giant, glowing whale — as well as a teaser which shows the titular heroine standing on the shore and blowing a shell.
While Dwayne Johnson — who voiced Maui in the first film — has not officially confirmed that he’ll be returning, Deadline reports that he’s in talks to reprise his role, and is all but guaranteed to return.
According to the Disney press release regarding the film’s storyline, “Moana 2 takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.”
The film will be directed by Dave Derrick Jr., with music by GRAMMY winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear — best known for the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical — with GRAMMY nominee Opetaia Foa’i and three-time GRAMMY winner Mark Mancina returning from the original for the sequel.
Moana 2 is set to sail into theaters on Nov. 27.
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