Everyone’s buzzing over smash hit sequel Moana 2 which continues to dominate the box office ($717 million to date) on its way to joining Inside Out 2 as the only billion dollar movies of 2024.

Surrounded by Hawaii’s boundless beauty, we had the pleasure of interviewing Moana herself (Auli’i Cravalho) along with directors Dana Ledoux Miller, David Derrick Jr. and Jason Hand and songwriting duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.

When asked about living in her purpose like the beloved Disney Princess she voices, Cravalho had this to say.

“I remember when I was first cast at 14–it was just my mom and I–we lived in a one bedroom apartment in Mililani [Hawaii]  and, before I was announced with the casting, we would just lie awake and I’d whisper like, ‘I’m Moana,’ and she’d be like, ‘you are Moana, we can’t tell anyone but this is gonna change our lives,’ and it absolutely did.

I could have never expected just how far I would go. I now am living in New York City. I am on Broadway… and then to have Moana again means that I get to come home, like come home physically but also come home to a character that I know so well…”

Watch the full interviews up top!

In Moana 2, the fearless Disney princess reunites with demigod pal Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) for an exciting new voyage with a crew of unlikely seafarers, Heihei, Pua the pig, and the bravest of the dart-wielding Kakamora.

After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.

Check out the trailer below:

In one of the greatest box office weekends ever ($425 million), the visually stunning film shattered records with the biggest 5-day opening of all-time ($220 million), the biggest Thanksgiving debut and Thanksgiving weekend, the biggest Thanksgiving day, and the biggest Black Friday ever.

“Moana 2 has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that ‘Moana’ has become,” said Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman.

“We’re fortunate to have an incredibly talented and hard-working creative team at Disney Animation who brought this new adventure to life, alongside our wonderful stars Auli’i and Dwayne and great new music. This is a moment to celebrate, and we’re thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who’ve helped make this a record-breaking debut.”

Moana 2 is now playing in theaters everywhere!