Auli'i Cravalho is "Very Excited" About Moana's Future (Exclusive)

Even six years removed, audiences are still enamored with Moana. The 2016 Disney Animation film accumulated enough accolades to warrant its own separate Wikipedia page, racking up a total of 65 nominations en route to its 16 wins at both music and film award shows. Its soundtrack, which boasts tracks like Auli'i Cravalho's "How Far I'll Go" and Dwayne Johnson's "You're Welcome," set the record for weeks at the No.1 spot on the Billboard soundtracks chart in 2021.

All this success was enough to warrant more from the world of Moana, as Disney announced plans for a spin-off streaming series in December 2020. The house of mouse made it official earlier this year when it revealed that David G. Derrick Jr. would be directing the project.

Speaking to ComicBook.com's Liam Crowley while promoting Darby and the Dead, leading woman Auli'i Cravalho remained tight-lipped on the spin-off but emphasized her anticipation about what's next for the character.

"I'm very excited for Moana's future," Cravalho said.

Cravalho continued by sharing her appreciation for Moana, noting that the role helped launch her into Hollywood.

"It was such a blessing to play that character," Cravalho continued. "She really changed my life, my first job, my way into this industry. And she keeps giving back. People keep finding the film, and I think it resonates with young women and young audiences even today. Even though it's six years later, it's still very timely."

Even though her future as Moana remains in question, Cravalho did recently revisit the film.

"I got to actually rerecord the film in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, which is the native language in Hawaii as well," Cravalho added. "It's not for profit, it is for educational purposes only. So I get to really watch this film continue to give back specifically to my community, and that warms my heart."

This Moana streaming series is another upcoming effort from Walt Disney Animation Studios' new strategy, which has the company focused on long-form shows and special projects for Disney+.

"Disney Animation is creating more original storytelling for Disney+, expanding into series for the first time in our history with Iwájú, Tiana, Moana, Baymax and Zootopia+," Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios Jennifer Lee said in 2021. "As we continue to grow our original slate of projects, there are more creative, artistic and technological opportunities than at any previous time."

Two of those projects, Baymax! and Zootopia+, debuted on Disney+ earlier this year. Tiana and Iwájú are expected to arrive in 2023, while the Moana series has been pushed to 2024.

Cravalho can be seen in Darby and the Dead, which is now streaming on Hulu.