Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is returning to voice Maui in “Moana 2”, features on the Oscar-nominated movie’s brand-new soundtrack, “Beyond”.
The musical offering from the Walt Disney Animation Studios, which was released on Friday, November 8, is the work of Grammy-Award-winning songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who are part of the music duo Barlow & Bear.
“Moana 2”, which is opening in cinemas worldwide on November 27, will also see the return of Auli‘i Cravalho voicing Moana.
The first movie was released in 2016 and snagged Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature and for Best Original Song for the hit track "How Far I’ll Go".
It saw Moana, the daughter of Chief Tui, embarking on a journey to return the heart of the goddess Te Fitti from Maui, a demigod, after the plants and the fish on her island start dying due to a blight.
The sequel will see her reuniting with Maui and the rest of the crew for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers.
“After receiving an unexpected call from her way-finding 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,” a statement read.
The movie also promises to be a visual and auditory treat with dancers and drummers, under the direction of Tiana Liufau, adding authentic Polynesian flair.
The rest of the voice cast sees Temuera Morrison return as Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Rose Matafeo as Loto, David Fane as Kele, Hualālai Chung as Moni and Alan Tudyk once again brings the lovable Heihei to life.
Meanwhile, Johnson has also added his voice to “Beyond” and features on two songs on the soundtrack, “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?” and “Mana Vavau”, which is a collaboration with Opetaia Foa‘i and Rachel House.
Cravalho also features on several of the songs including “We’re Back”, which includes some of the other cast members, the title“Beyond (Reprise)” as well as “What Could Be Better Than This?” with Hualālai Chung, Rose Matafeo and David Fane, amongst others.
The soundtrack for the first movie garnered over 20 billion worldwide streams since its release.
Apart from “How Far I’ll Go”, “You’re Welcome”, featuring Johnson, was also a hit and has been certified six-times platinum. It is also the most watched video on DisneyMusic VEVO with over 1.6 billion views to date.