Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical Moana 2 reunites Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a 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.
As the film celebrates its Australian release this week (you can read our review here), voice cast members Temuera Morrison (Tui, Moana’s father and chief of Motunui Island), David Fane (Kele, a new member of Moana’s wayfinding crew) and Awhimai Fraser (Matangi, a mysterious threat to Moana and Maui) joined stars, filmmakers and special guests in Sydney, Australia, for the Australian Premiere.
Speaking with our Peter Gray, the trio touched on the vocal process for their individual roles, taking ownership of their culture, and the interesting manners in which they can relate to their characters.
Temuera, you’re returning to Moana here, but David and Awhimai coming into this one as newbies, were you given any advice on the process? Or did you learn any new techniques with your voice that you didn’t know about?
David Fane: The nice thing about this gig was, straight away, they said we didn’t have to do American accents. It was a nod to the fact that the Pacific is such a huge expanse of the world.
Temuera Morrison: I was doing an American accent (laughs).
David Fane: You know, it was our own way of speaking. And that was really beautiful. From then on, I just knew it was going to be a ball of a time. And what a time it was. It brilliant. So lovely. And all I do for voices is I create the story in my head and I just play.
Awhimai Fraser: Yeah, the playing is so fun. I feel very lucky that my first Disney job actually was Frozen, playing the Māori Elsa. She’s a huge character to dive into, and massive songs in that particular movie too, so I felt really lucky, actually, to have had that as a foundation in Te reo Māori, alongside Matewa Media in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and then to move into the space of Moana 2. Obviously, creating and bringing this character to life was a whole journey in itself, but it’s awesome to be a part of Moana 2.
Did you find that you all had a sense of creative freedom with these characters? Are you taking ownership when you go in to record? These are your stories, your roots, your culture.
Temuera Morrison: Occasionally, I could pop up, because the rhythm’s a bit different, but you work together to get the best result. And they’re the writers. They’re telling the narrative. And I’ll tell you what was a nice thing for me when I did Moana 2, I took my five-year-old in the studio with me, and I pretended I was talking to Moana, but I was really talking to my very own daughter, which gave a totally different tone or quality. A different warmth in your voice. Believe you me, these voiceovers? They may sound like you just walk in and do the thing, but it’s take 222 on one of those lines, you know what I mean? You’re in there finding nuances, finding emotion, and trying to get that just through your voice only. You’re still performing, in a way, but bringing it all through your vocals. I’m lucky I had some radio training. I come from a singing family. I was lucky I was in the first (movie), so that kind of helped. It’s just great to be on this, igniting Polynesia and sharing our stories with the world.
This film further explores and celebrates Polynesian culture. For each of you, what does it mean to be a part of that representation? Seeing a major studio like Disney just embrace another culture and you’re able to tell the story as intended.
Temuera Morrison: They have their cultural advisors, which is a big process in terms of getting everything right. The words, the history, the cultural content. There’s a few surprises in there (too), we have a little Kava ceremony, and if you’ve been to a Kava ceremony and you’ve participated in it, it was kind of spot on. Other moments where we see the return of one of our spectacular characters, and it just reminds you of how our ancestors are always present, and our connection to the ocean, to Tangaroa, and to the life forms that exist there.
David Fane: I liked that sense of breathing together. It’s the breathing that guides us.
Temuera Morrison: And pressing our noses together. That’s how Polynesians greet one another.
David Fane: And it’s a big thing that you can’t be angry. You just have to breathe as a people.
Was it things like that helped you relate personally to your characters? Bringing in those qualities into your performance…
David Fane: Yeah, the feet (laughs). (My character) has these horrible flat feet. But beautiful, big paddles for swimming. Flippers. Just look at my own feet. I love the fact that they’re flat and useless. Love it.
Awhimai Fraser: I think with Matangi, I really loved bringing the strength of the wahine and my whanau. I think her eccentricities and larger-than-lifeness were pulled from different spaces. But the strength behind her very much comes from the influence of the women and my whanau, and I really loved doing that. But also the sass. I can be a little sassy, and I love to sing. I’ve sung since I was three-years-old, and that’s been the biggest love of my life.
Moana 2 is screening in Australian theatres from November 28th, 2024.
