Dr. Emily Fairfax at the world premiere of Pixar’s “Hoppers” in Los Angeles, Calif. in late February 2026

Pixar’s “Hoppers” is now in theaters, and soon, everyone will have a fascination with… beavers!

At least, that fascination is what Dr. Emily Fairfax was hoping everyone who watched the new original feature from Pixar would leave the theaters with. Before all that though, she never knew people from Pixar would even take a fascination with her beaver research.

In 2021, Dr. Fairfax gave a talk at the California Beaver Summit (yes, a real thing!) when one of the organizers saw that there were people from Pixar on the registration list. “I thought maybe they finally wanted to see my stop-motion project,” said Dr. Fairfax to us in a Zoom interview. “A few weeks later, I got an email from Pixar asking if I could give them more information on beavers, so while it was no stop-motion showcase, it was a dream come true.”

After getting past the initial idea that she was being pranked, she set up a virtual talk with a filmmaking team and thought that was it. “I really just thought they wanted something small for a side character or environment like that, but then I started getting requests for more talks,” she said.

Eventually, Pixar decided to show their cards to Dr. Fairfax (after she signed a whole bunch of NDAs!) by inviting her to become the official consultant on the movie that would eventually become “Hoppers.” She got to work directly with director Daniel Chong and producer Nicole Grindle and their creative leadership team, and invited them to go out into the field to do more immersive research on beavers and their habitat.

“And I still didn’t know where all this research was going!,” said Dr. Fairfax. It wasn’t until months later, as well as more talks and site visits to beaver ponds that she was invited to the Pixar studio in Emeryville, California where she finally got to see how her research was literally the foundation to their entire movie. And yes, in true Pixar fashion, she cried when she found it all out.

Dr. Fairfax showing a Pixar filmmaker a real beaver lodge.

For Dr. Fairfax, it all was overwhelming, both as a fan of Pixar and beavers. Her desire to research beavers and their environment came out of left-field as much as Pixar people attending her lecture. “I was working a corporate job and thought I had it all figured out until I didn’t. In my clouded head, though, was this documentary about beavers and I immediately fell in love and knew where to go next,” she said.

As far as how the “Hoppers” filmmaking team turned Dr. Fairfax’s research into art, it really came down to pretty much everything. “It’s a real testament to the team, to the writing, drawing, animating, and even the sound to listen to what I was saying as a scientist and then translate into art that’s true to the science.”

More specifically, she was really pleased to see that the wildfire research she gave to the team made it into the movie. “I didn’t know they’d make it the dramatic climax of the film, but it really hit home for me because fires really hit home for the beavers,” Dr. Fairfax said. She went on to say that even the solution that the film offers in its fictional world is a real solution to natural disasters like fires: beavers!

And so, that’s where Dr. Fairfax hopes that people who watch “Hoppers” can not only ‘leave it to beavers,’ but learn more about them “so that you can care about them and our world better,” she said.

“I don’t think people realize how close beavers and beaver ponds are to them. If you do end up leaving a screening of “Hoppers” and want to dig into the science, find your local beaver non-profit or advocacy group. They’ll be so excited to show the way,” Dr. Fairfax said, even offering her services and expertise continually to Pixar should a sequel come.

Even then, it has been a full-circle moment for her, with the hope that from this beautiful art that Pixar has created can create more advocates and researchers for beavers. “Beavers are great and goofy stewards of this planet with us. The more we care about them, the more they’ll care for us,” Dr. Fairfax said.

Pixar’s “Hoppers” is now playing exclusively in theaters, and will stream on Disney+ at a later date.

Our special thanks to Dr. Emily Fairfax for contributing to this story! Learn more about her and her work on her website.

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Instagram post

While we were at Pixar in Emeryville, CA a few weeks ago to get a first-look at their upcoming new original movie, HOPPERS, Jordie sat down with its director Daniel Chong and producer Nicole Grindle to ask a question about AI and its use in the creative process at Pixar.

You can watch the full clip on AI and thoughts about it at Pixar exclusively Instagram account @disneyexaminer now and in the player above.

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When Daniel Chong was asked to come back to Pixar Animation Studios to direct a movie, he really didn’t have to. Since 2014, he had been riding the wave of his successful comedic animated tv series for Cartoon Network, WE BARE BEARS. He was doing spinoffs of the popular show and was excited to continue his work elsewhere.

“That was until Pete [Docter] asked me to come make a movie here,” said Chong. “Who says ‘no’ to Pete Docter?”

Heeding his own suggestion, Chong began the journey of creating a movie from scratch in an ‘bare’ story room at Pixar’s studio in Emeryville, CA in 2020. “At a legacy studio like this, creating something isn’t done in a vacuum. It’s definitely done in collaboration, as well as pushing boundaries for the sake of story,” Chong said.

Now nearly five years later, Chong and Pixar is set to debut “Hoppers,” arguably its funniest movie ever.

Part of the boundary-pushing that Chong wanted to contribute and lead from was doing a movie at Pixar that was “comedy-forward,” which according to him meant that it would be “hilarious from beginning to end.”

While Pixar movies, including the legacy films like “Toy Story” and “Monsters Inc.”, have funny moments, they typically have only used comedic moments sparingly. Chong’s WE BARE BEARS was intentionally comedic, and he felt that there was a way to bring that ‘funny bone’ into his movie.

Daniel Chong

“Pete [Docter] showed the way with Monsters Inc. where a movie under the Pixar banner could also be super funny. I think there is something to be said about meaningful comedy, and we wanted to say something through it with “Hoppers,” Chong said.

As for the type and level of comedy that Chong was aiming for, he said that all it originated with him and his story team. “We honestly just pitched gags to each other and gauge what our reactions to them would be. If we laughed, it stayed. If it didn’t, it died. It was that simple.” Chong added that the comedy that ended up in the film would be for “everyone.”

Still, there were some at Pixar, including some of the creative leadership, that thought that the comedy was too much, Chong deferred to Pete Docter’s feedback again.

“People like Pete and Andrew Stanton (director of “Finding Nemo” and the upcoming “Toy Story 5”) said that it belonged. That meant a lot to me. Can you imagine getting defended by the director of “Up” and “Finding Nemo”?! It’s like getting defended by Pixar Jesus!,” Chong said.

We’ll have more behind-the-scenes and exclusive stories on Pixar’s “Hoppers” in the coming weeks leading up to its release in theaters on March 6!

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Jeff Kinney

I was one of the kids who connected deeply to Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books when I was in early grade school. Perhaps it was the main character Greg Heffley’s antics as an unintentional goofball or the comical hand-drawn illustrations that were fun to flip through, but I was only one of a few million kids who loved reading Kinney’s books.

And while live-action movies were made from those books, it wasn’t until Kinney got the opportunity to create ‘comic’ animated versions of his commical visual novel that he found a new dimension to his stories.

“I really love doing these Disney+ [animated] movies,” he said to us in a recent interview. “There’s something about the process of making these that are so fun; the same fun that I had when writing the books.”

In the newest installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid animated movies aptly named “The Last Straw,” Kinney ‘drew’ on the deeper relationship between his own characters that seem to always have it with each other: Greg and his dad, Frank.

Like his book that was released of the same name back in 2009, the story really hammers in to Frank and his own analysis of how he fathers his clumsy son. When asked if Kinney wrote Frank’s character as a projection of his own father, Kinney laughingly refuted.

“I actually wrote this script when I began to see my own kids grow up like me,” he said. “It all really became unlocked when I started to diagnose my own fathering of my very funny boys.”

Kinney went on to agree that while there is a deeper emotional core to the story in this film, he did want to balance it all out with the humor that also marks his books. “It’s actually a lot easier to do funny gags for these stories because it’s all animated,” Kinney said. “This one isn’t short of laughs at and with Greg.”

It really all begins and ends, though, with Greg Heffley. At least in Kinney’s mind.

“Yes, I have said that Greg is an exaggerated and comical version of me as a kid, and while he isn’t perfect, I still love that kid.” He added, “I think maybe that’s the secret to why these stories have worked over all these years.”

Our special thanks to Jeff Kinney for contributing to this story!

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Ke Huy Quan (L) and Ginnifer Goodwin (R)

I remember seeing the original “Zootopia” movie when it debuted about 10 years ago.

The now-lauded Disney Animation feature came at a transitionary time between in America. Namely, the incoming president of the United States was heralding a tougher citizenry, one that wanted to stomp out weakness by strong-arming difference out of existence.

I think that is why I resonated and remember that film so much. It came at a time that I think myself and the rest of our world needed to hear; that each of our differences (and in the case of Zootopia, species) shouldn’t be treated with prejudice and stereotyping because it’s those differences that make cities great.

Fast forward nearly a decade later, Zootopia 2 seems to be dropping at another timely moment in the U.S. for another subtle lesson about society and living.

While the logline and even movie trailers for it haven’t shown much, I can say having seen the full movie that it does offer a very layered and still directed commentary on racism, government corruption, and… empathy.

Empathy—the polar opposite to difference—is what the filmmakers to the Zootopia sequel say makes their fictional city great. It’s acting from that place of seeing someone who’s different from you and dignifying them. The result is a kindness that understands and wants to love through action.

I had the opportunity to ask Zootopia 2 stars’ Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps) and Ke Huy Quan (Gary the Snake) about empathy as it related to their character’s performances.

“I think this time around, I aspire to be more like Judy,” says Goodwin. “It’s strange to say, but in performing her, I think I really want to be more like her; her disarming and transforming kindness,” she added.

Quan continued, “When I read the script, I was so moved by it. I really wanted to be better not just for myself, but for my community. I really think empathy is really what we need right now to get change to happen within our cities.”

Zootopia 2 hits theaters on November 26, 2025.

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(Princess) Lea.

Lea Salonga receiving her Disney Legends award and handprint plaque at the D23 Expo in 2011.

Lea Salonga seems to always be hustling. Between reprising roles on Broadway, starring in TV shows, being a mom and wife, the 54-year-old the Filipina songstress is heading back out on tour to perform across the United States and Canada.

Being called the “Stage, Screen, and Everything in Between” tour, Salonga returns to the Los Angeles area for a stop once again at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California for one night that she hopes would be more than a concert.

“I’m grateful to be back in Orange County! That audience knows how to have a good time and that venue is absolutely beautiful,” Salonga said to us in an interview. “I hope anyone who attends can know this can be a space for them.”

Salonga is not foreign to the venue and area, as audiences who reside in and around it are usually a mix of people who connect with Salonga through her work and identity: Disney fans and Filipinos.

“I think being Filipina will always be a part of me. It’s my identity and I take great pride in it as much as my fellow Filipinas do,” she said, adding “I’m also happy that giving voice to these Disney princesses in song has spilled into a new generation of fans and princesses.”

In addition to her award-winning stage performances that introduced her to American audiences, Salonga was further thrust into the American spotlight when she was chosen to be the singing voices of Disney Jasmine from “Aladdin” and Fa Mulan from “Mulan.”

As the name of the show encapsulates, the songs that Lea will perform, along with her touring ensemble band, will range from the Disney songs to the Filipino ballads–and everything in between. “I really wanted to do a little bit of everything from my career, so expect a lot of the hits, but maybe a few surprises as well,” she said.

Some of the surprises outside of the song list might come from Salonga’s performances of those songs live on this tour. She hopes that whether you’ve seen her in concert before or are just looking to get away from the bad that’s happening in the world, you’ll get to enjoy the time as you are.

“I recognize that art often meets us in our moment. I will approach the material in that way and hope that the performance can remind you of something that you need to hear, and not just the song,” Salonga said.

Our special thanks to Lea Salonga for contributing to this story!

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Composer Rob Simonsen (L) with “Elio” directors Domee Shi (C) and Madeline Sharafian

When Pixar’s “Elio” filmmakers approached Rob Simonsen about doing the score for their movie, they wanted someone who could ‘connect’ with the subject matter.

“The [movie and its score] is a meditation on signals; on how we reach out, and what it means when something reaches back,” said Simonsen in an interview. In our own interview with him recently, he added that he found a connection to “Elio” through his own childhood “staring into space” and watching movies about imagining what’s out there.

Simonsen tapped into those memories while he found Elio’s theme while just noodling at the piano thinking about connection and the meanings of them “that often are difficult to put into words,” he said. To showcase Elio’s own search for connection, the theme he wrote also starts with a leap from the first note to the major 7th on the piano.

While the piano is the foundational instrument of the theme and the rest of the score, Simonsen wasn’t afraid of incorporating big and different sounds like an 85-piece orchestra and even synthesizers to add layers to the soundscape that he defined as ‘outer space’.

“I think it really was about finding a sound [sic] that felt unfamiliar and warm at the same time,” Simonsen said.

It all really comes together with the cue in the score at the end of the movie called “The Return.” Simonsen pulled out together everything he had in his musical toolkit for those last few minutes of the film to make it memorable–like John William’s penultimate cue called “Adventures on Earth” cue from the movie, “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial.”

From reprising Elio’s theme, other leitmotifs, using the full range of the orchestra and synths, and even having a famous soundbite from Carl Sagan acting as a sort of lyric, it definitely was Simonsen’s favorite cue to create and record. “I’m a huge Carl Sagan fan, and so it was a huge treat to accompany his words; to use it all to bookend the film and maybe give an answer to if we are alone in the universe was so moving,” Simonsen said.

Added director of “Elio” Domee Shi, “He brings such scope and scale to the movie. Once we’re flying through the universe, it just sounds bigger. The music is just sweeping. [sic]. It’ll blow your hair back.”

Pixar’s “Elio” is now playing in theaters and will stream exclusively on Disney+ in the coming months.

Our special thanks to Rob Simonsen for contributing to this story!

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

Graphic filed in the joint Disney-NBCUniversal lawsuit showing Midjourney’s output to a query (L), which seems to be directly taken from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” (R)

• In a joint lawsuit with NBCUniversal, Disney has filed a lawsuit against the AI company Midjourney for copyright infringement, citing that their generative imagery engine has used their characters in outputting user’s queries (see example above). The lawsuit comes as many studios to date have not had an official response to the rising use of AI in creative industries, but industry workers have lauded the legal motion as they say that it will finally put in protections for creatives.

Yonas IS Elio.

Yonas Kibreab

When Yonas Kibreab was announced as the voice of the titular role in Pixar’s “Elio” back in 2022, he was only 12. His debut even came on stage in front of thousands of Disney fans at the D23 Expo. 

Now 15 and with the movie about to debut, the young actor of Filipino-American and African descent was immediately thrust into the role of a lifetime.

“Working on a Disney [Pixar] movie challenged me in so many ways I could barely imagine!,” he Kibreab said to us in an online interview. “I didn’t even know what the process of voicing Elio would be,” he added.

Voice acting is considered by many to be more difficult than on-camera acting because all of the actor’s performance needs to come through their voice. Additionally, the process can be equally exhausting due to the iterations and takes directors need to capture the right tone for that scene that often hasn’t been animated yet, leaving no reference for the actor to act to.

Still, Kibreab was ready for a challenge amid his own fear and nervousness.

“Being scared helped me play Elio because he’s a boy that has to deal with the emotions that come with being afraid,” Kibreab said. He added, “I think his personality is the biggest thing that I relate to.”

One of those real-life experiences that Kibreab channeled into his performance was living through the COVID-19 pandemic. When you first meet Elio in the film, we get to see that he is having to deal with sadness head-on at a very early age. “It all really reminded me of how I felt during COVID,” Kibreab said. 

He went on, “It was a very depressing time, like not being able to see friends…it got sad at times. Being afraid to go outside or to a coffee shop; it was all tough.”

Yet amid those fear-inducing situations as a young boy, Kibreab sought to do something that his character would do: be brave and get to know who you are.

“All this stuff is happening to him [Elio], and he still is an outgoing kid. And I think because he’s so vulnerable, he’s so believable. He has taught me that I don’t have to change who I am and that I’m the best self I can be,” Kibreab said.

Pixar’s “Elio” is now playing in theaters, and will stream on Disney+ at a later date.

Our special thanks to Yonas Kibreab for contributing to this story!

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From L-R: Directors Domee Shi, Madeline Sharafian, and Producer Mary Alice Drumm

So many Pixar movies are beloved because while the animation might bring you to another world, the story is often grounded in real-life.

“The Pixar movies I grew up with had one foot in reality and another foot in the fantastical,” said director Madeline Sharafian, adding that her new movie “Elio” wanted to emulate that for many reasons.

“Elio” was originally announced in 2022 as a new movie with a concept and story by “Coco” director Adrian Molina, but eventually was given to Sharafian and “Turning Red” director Domee Shi to complete. Both Sharafian and Shi wanted to build on Molina’s original idea of asking what if everything we knew about aliens was true by wrapping it in a very human story about belonging and community.

Sharafian continued, “By having one foot in reality, I think we’re all able to step into our own experiences and emotions better as directors and as audiences. I think we really wanted to provide that space within Elio’s story.”

Elio’s story is already a grounded one, taking place in a present-day version of the United States where a boy interested in outer space and aliens, who recently lost his parents, is given to his aunt to be taken care of. That aunt, named Olga, also happens to work in a division of the United States Air Force that seeks to identify and thwart alien threats…in outer space.

“We were particular at wanting to make Elio this real young boy, full of heart and full of things he’s scared of,” said Shi, adding that “No matter if he’s on Earth or a spacecraft, he’s always going to be Elio.”

By the time you follow Elio on his out-of-this-world adventure in space for the remainder of the movie, Sharafian and Shi knew that keeping one foot on Earth would only make the story more relatable and believable–even for themselves.

“I think we often tell stories and want to make movies because we’re a lot like Elio. We’re all trying to find connection through curiosity and creativity in our own way,” said Shi.

We’ll have more stories on the making of Pixar’s “Elio” soon. The movie hits theaters on June 20, 2025.

Our thanks to Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi for contributing to this story!

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Dan Romer

Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” has broken nearly every expectation through box office sales and reviews from audiences who love re-living the original animated film. Whether it has been a result of nostalgia or the merits of a well-done movie, Dan Romer believes it can be both.

Romer was brought on to the project, directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, when it was determined by Walt Disney Studios executives that “Lilo & Stitch” should be given a theatrical release. The film was close to finishing filming in Hawaii, which gave Romer a smaller window to create the music for the movie.

To do that, he revisited the original animated movie and its score written by legendary composer Alan Silvestri. While Silvestri is more presently known for the theme he wrote for the Avengers movies or even Universal Pictures’ “Back to the Future,” he also wrote what Romer called a “perfect” score for the animated film.

“I think if you listen carefully to Alan’s score, you realize that it didn’t have to do much to make it meaningful for audiences,” he said during an online interview we had with him recently. “And that basically means that Alan just knew what music was needed for every frame.”

However, Romer determined quickly that he didn’t want to exactly replicate Silvestri’s score, but create a new musical toolset that would honor it. 

In discussing that further with director Camp, he decided a lot of the music for the film would be inspired by native Hawaiian music. “A lot of that music is vocal and percussive, so this score incorporates a lot of traditional Hawaiian chants and wooden drums that mark this genre,” Romer said.

This culturally authentic approach to scoring a film is similar approach that he took when he was asked to score Pixar’s “Luca” and using instruments and melodies that gets used in Italian music.

As for how his score has played a part in the success of the movie, Romer believes that it’s another attempt to just make good music. Having produced music that spans genres, different platforms including TV, and even another Disney-owned studio, Romer just wants to make it sound good.

“I think a lot of the reason why I do this type of work is because it teaches me a lot about telling stories through music. And that’s always a fun thing to do,” he said.

Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” is now playing in theaters, and will be streaming exclusively on Disney+ soon.

Our special thanks to Dan Romer for contributing to this story!

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• Star Wars Celebration just concluded this year in Japan, where attendees were treated to Star Wars talent appearances like Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna. Fans were also the first to hear announcements like a new Star Wars feature film called “Star Wars: Starfighter” coming from writer-director Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds, as well as changes coming to attractions in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The next Star Wars Celebration will happen in 2027 in Los Angeles.

Magic in Blaine’s sight.

David Blaine

Chances are that you know of David Blaine. 

Since the early 2000s, he has garnered the attention of the United States and the greater world through his “magic acts.” But the interest of the world didn’t come through some ordinary sleight-of-hand or card trick (though he’s a master of that, too).

Blaine’s ‘illusions’ were his ability to put his own body and mind through feats of what we would consider impossible. Whether it was holding his breath underwater for nearly 10 minutes or regurgitating live frogs that he swallowed, the magic of David Blaine was more about the effect of a magician—to make you in awe through disbelief.

Since those early years, Blaine has gone on to tour the world to share his type of magic, including a new residency in Las Vegas that basically puts together his most famous acts all in one show.

But has returned to TV with a new show on National Geographic and Disney+ will reveal a new side to the magician that we haven’t seen before: being afraid.

“Yeah, isn’t it strange to see?,” said Chris St. John, an executive producer for “David Blaine Do Not Attempt.” He continued, “But I think like any other docuseries, we see a more human side to the subject, and in our case, our subject is David Blaine who is typically not afraid.”

Yet in each episode of the six in this first season, you do see Blaine scared of trying physical and mental acts that you would assume he’d do from previous acts he’s done. However, the fear he shows in attempting these things are coming from people in many countries around the world, including Southeast Asia, South Africa, and Brazil who are basically just like him.

EP St. John shared that the team, in partnership with Blaine, identified and wanted to capture people that Blaine admired for doing the magic he does: with their own bodies. “Oftentimes, that meant these people were doing ‘daredevil magic’ to the next level- enough for David to be afraid and for us to be scared for his safety,” said St. John.

Yes, he does successfully kiss a King Cobra in the show. But was definitely scared in even learning to do so.

In one episode that featured Blaine in India, he encounters someone who is able to step and smash glass bottles with any part of his body. There’s a segment that shows this person smashing a large gin bottle on his head, destroying it into shards of glass as Blaine stands in awe of the act. In every episode, he will challenge himself to do the thing he is in awe of, but with the weariness of his own crew and medics.

“I know this show is called ‘Do Not Attempt’ and we think that means us and not David. But it often meant David,” said St. John, adding that what makes the show work even more is that our host and main subject is the one who often becomes the student and not the teacher, though Blaine does end up doing his own magic to the awe of those featured in the episodes.

So how can these seemingly superhuman magicians do these that Blaine seems scared to do? Each episode also dives into the secrets of these people themselves, which often came from their own culture and spiritual roots. As for the guy who smashed bottles on his head in India, he said that a lot of the power and reasons to even attempt these daring acts comes from his connection to his god and his reliance on him. 

With each episode of “David Blaine Do Not Attempt,” it really does seem that there is something outside this world and human understanding that makes everything you see Blaine and those he meets do.

Still, it isn’t so much that Blaine can’t do what he was learning from these others, rather it was the convictions put together with these skills that made what is shown unbelievable.

St. John added, “So are we saying that with enough conviction, practice, and belief that you can do this type of magic yourself? Definitely not. But if David can do it past his own fear then I’m sure it’s possible. I think we all can believe in that magic.”

All episodes of the first season of “David Blaine Do No Attempt” are now streaming on Disney+ and National Geographic. You can watch an entire full episode right now in the YouTube player below.

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• Disney Cruise Line held a media preview of their next ship, the Disney Destiny. That ship’s theme will be all about heroes and villains, and will feature a live staged musical of Disney Animation’s “Hercules,” with a song that was cut from the originally movie.

10 years of Hamilton. 5 years of #HamilFilm.

While “the world turned upside down” in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a reason why it turned right-side up–#HamilFilm!

It has been nearly five years since Disney+ became the exclusive home to the official filmed version of Hamilton, from and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

Featuring the original Broadway cast alongside Miranda including Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Anthony Ramos to name a few, the musical-turned-history-lesson on one of America’s lesser-known Founding Fathers quickly became a cultural phenomenon that has played around the world for a decade.

Beginning April 23, 2025, the touring company of Hamilton will return to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California for a limited time.

So what does it take to put the show on around the globe? Here are some fast facts:

• 60 - number of people it takes to put the show on in the company

• 53 - feet length of the trailers to move the set from each venue

• 350+ - number of lighting fixtures

• 1,000+ - number of lighting cues

• 500 - number of person-days to creating the set

• 0 - number of real bricks and wood to make the set

• 9 - inches of the show deck

• 50 - number of paper props

• 20 - number of hidden prop boxes around the set

• 658 - number of costume pieces for each performer

• 10 - number of musicians who are part of the orchestra

• 14 - number of speakers on set so the performers can hear the music

• 2.5 - number of pounds King George’s crown is

• 1 - number of physical therapist that travels to support the performers

Tickets are still available for Hamilton at SCFTA. There is also a lottery available for discounted tickets.

What’s next from DE?

On the heels of the 30th anniversary of “A Goofy Movie,” we speak with the creators of the official documentary of it, now streaming on Disney+.

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• During the annual SXSW conference in Austin, TX last weekend, Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro and Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman (both considered possible successors to Disney CEO Bob Iger) shared news about a few new experiences coming to Disney’s theme parks, including a Monsters Inc. door coaster. They also shared that the cute autonomous droids that have been roaming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will make their movie debut in the upcoming “Mandalorian & Grogu” film coming in 2026.

“Beyond” the music with Barlow & Bear.

Disney music is synonymous with Disney movies.

For Disney Animation, their movies heralding back to the 1990s in what was called the “Disney Renaissance” made their mark arguably because of the thought that the animation could be matched up with musical theater from the likes of people like Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, The Sherman Brothers, Phil Collins, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more.

With Moana 2, Disney Animation decided to follow-up their original tale of their oceanic princess with a new adventure–and new music. And while Lin-Manuel, who wrote the music for the first movie wouldn’t return, a new generation of talented songwriters would take the helm of this journey.

Meet Abigail and Emily. Professionally, they’re known as Barlow & Bear.

Abigail Barlow (L) and Emily Bear (R)

At 26 and 23, respectively, both these young women had musical theater running through their veins as kids. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they both found each other and decided to put their collective musical might in creating the “Unofficial Bridgerton Musical,” inspired by the hit Netflix show. It won a Grammy for them both, and shot their ability into high visibility with big studios and other name-brand artists like Beyonce.

When they eventually got the call to write the new original songs for Moana 2, it still was something they would have never thought of, given their early-career success.

“It’s an incredible honor to even be thought of,” Abigail Barlow said to us in a recent interview during a press day at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. “Like everyone else, we grew up on the movies that have come from here, so to be included with the likes of Lin [-Manuel Miranda] and Alan [Menken] as Disney songwriters is absolutely wild,” added Emily Bear.

The process for writing music for Disney animated films is not always the same. For Barlow & Bear, they got access to the script and submitted demos to directors Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand, and David Derrick Jr., and were able to come up with songs rather quickly. “I think that’s because we both felt like we knew Moana herself and the journey of this young heroine. We’re young in our careers and in this world, so there’s a lot of resonance to Moana’s longing for purpose, direction, and conviction,” said Barlow.

Those themes are definitely on full display with the headlining song from Moana 2 written by the duo entitled “Beyond.” According to Bear, it is the ‘sequel’ to the headlining song from the first film, “How Far I’ll Go.”

Still, the process of writing meant that there were ‘waves’ of writer’s block and lyrics and melodies that didn’t end up in the final songs that made the sequel. “One of my favorite lines that didn’t make it in a song was “Don’t go cryin’ to your mommy when you’re fightin’ a tsunami!,” said Barlow.

Emily Bear (L) and Abigail Barlow (R) during an orchestra recording session in Los Angeles for Moana 2. Photo via Entertainment Weekly.

When asked about if the duo had a theory or process when it came to extending the musical vocabulary of Moana, they felt like they were doing just that.

“Lin [-Manuel Miranda] and some of our other musical mentors who’ve written for musicals have told us that this type of genre needs to aid in pushing the story along. I think our music checks that box, but more importantly, I think these are Disney songs, and what makes them that is their ability to connect with some part of a listener’s life. If we did that with this, I know we did our jobs,” said Bear.

With Moana 2 out in the world and amassing over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, one particular community that has resonated with the music in the Pacific Islander people, including Moana herself. “I remember playing “Beyond” for Auli’i Cravalho (voice of Moana) for the first time and her saying that the song gave her a voice of leaving home to pursue a dream of acting. I think her performance of it in the movie will make any audience not question that longing,” said Barlow.

Disney’s “Moana 2” is now available to buy and stream exclusively on Disney+.

Our special thanks to Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear for contributing to this story!

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Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle decked out for the 70th anniversary in this rendering.

Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• Disneyland’s 70th anniversary plans are being slowly but surely revealed, which include a tribute to the Sherman Brothers on Main Street U.S.A. and the first-ever Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic figure debuting as part of a new show on July 17, 2025, Disneyland’s official birthday.

• Marvel Studios is celebrating a good opening weekend box office for “Captain America: Brave New World,” even though the critical consensus of the movie has been largely negative.

Pixar does TV.

Pixar has spent all of its existence creating feature-length films, but like its fellow studios, it was given an order to create serialized content for Disney+ back in 2020. Nearly five years later, Enter “Win or Lose.”

Helmed by story artists-turned-showrunners Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, and produced by David Lally, the series tells the story of a kids softball championship weekend- through different main characters points-of-view.

“Only in this type of format can you tell this type of story,” said Carrie Hobson, sharing that each episode delves into the same timeframe of action, but gives more depth into the characters who fill that time.

In the pilot episode, we meet Laurie, a 12-year old softball player who is having a hard time ‘getting in the game,’ while we also get introduced to the 20-minute runtime and narrative timeline that each episode will trace through, with different characters that slightly get introduced in the background of previous episodes.

If that doesn’t make sense, then you’re not alone. Even the crew who made it had to make sure they were making sense of their own show.

“It’s a lot of content. It’s like doing two feature films in terms of length, so writing and directing it all was a lot to manage,” said Yates. 

Adding Lally, “We’re so used to having our standard production pipeline for a 90-minute feature, but [“Win or Lose”] ended up being about 150-minutes total, just to put it all into perspective. But with all that extra time, we were excited to fill it with more characters that we could spend more time with that we typically couldn’t do with just one movie.”

With the change in the platform, there also had to be a change in the production process. Things are a bit different across every discipline that it takes to create an animated anything, especially at Pixar.

“It was a learning curve for the studio,” said Hobson. “We made the mistake of thinking every episode was its own movie with a beginning, middle, and an end for a character. The end [for each character] comes in the finale episode, so we had to re-train ourselves in story, production pipeline, and more,” she added.

Specifically for the new changes to the pipeline, Pixar was still able to use previous techniques and technologies to elevate the story. “For example, if it called for a character showing how big of an imagination they have, we used the learnings and tech for blending 3D and 2D animation to show that,” said Lally.

From L-R: Carrie Hobson, Michael Yates, David Lally

In the end though, the animation rarely becomes meaningful unless a good story weaves it all together. For the ensemble cast of characters that “Win or Lose” introduces over its eight-episode run, some techniques still required a Pixar-traditional approach.

“We wanted to fill our cast with real experiences from our own lives, but once you get going on the basics of a character, they will themselves begin to inform you on who they are and what they want to say,” said Hobson.

That sentiment and intent seemed to have been forgotten when word got out back in December 2024 that one character’s storyline revealed that they were transgender. Pixar leadership made the decision to remove the lines of dialogue that would infer gender identity, with Disney citing that they recognize that “many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline” when it comes to “animated content for a younger audience.”

Still, Pixar has released the first two episodes of the series as of this writing, and some social media and critics have hailed the series as fresh, original, fun, funny, and uniquely Pixar.

As for the future of the series, only time will tell if a second season of “Win or Lose” or a spinoff series like most successful TV shows end up becoming reality in the now-experienced TV studio that is Pixar Animation.

“We all love TV, and we were really excited to explore the medium as a studio,”said Yates. Added Lally, “And there’s definitely more story because there’s definitely more characters we can explore in the series already.”

Pixar’s “Win or Lose” will continue to debut new episodes once a week exclusively on Disney+, with a finale episode out on March 12, 2025. 

Our special thanks to Carrie Hobson, Michael Yates, and David Lally for contributing to this story!

STILL TO COME… more Disney!!

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Disney CEO Bob Iger visiting the American Red Cross shelter set up in Pasadena, California to support victims of the recent LA wildfires.

Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• Disney has activated many ways to support employees and those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Among the resources offered to victims include a $15 million donation for the rebuilding efforts, offering temporary housing, providing clothing and supplies, and so much more. Read the full statement here.

Martha is groundbreaking.

Martha Blanding was one of this past year’s Disney Legend honorees, and rightfully so. In being the first full-time VIP tour guide at Disneyland park back in the 1970s, she took on a role and a cultural environment that didn’t welcome her because of her ethnicity just a few years before.

In her new book out now called Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey through The Happiest Place on Earth, Blanding explores what it was like to pioneer the role with someone like her, both the struggles and successes. We connected with Blanding to talk about the book recently. Read the interview below.

Disney Legend Martha Blanding

DE: What do you think made you the specific person to take on a role that didn't have a Black person in it before?

MB: Looking back over 50 years, I had no idea I was the first of anything! I loved what I was doing.  Somebody must have been keeping tabs because the next thing I knew was that I was told I had been the first permanent Black tour guide and VIP Hostess at Disneyland, along with being the first Black female buyer, the first Black woman in management at the park (and of the first in the entire Walt Disney Company), and the first Black employee in the entire company to retire with a half-century of service.

DE: A lot of your achievements seem to have come because doors opened to you specifically. What advice do you have for people who want to pioneer in similar ways?

MB: First of all, I would tell them what my mother told me: don’t let other people determine your future; that’s your job. Be positive in your thinking, look for a career that you love, listen, and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to try something new, and if you don’t like what you’re doing, walk away and try something else.  

Always put your best foot forward, you never know who is watching you. When picking your battles, choose the ones that make you look good, and remember, sometimes, to win a battle, you just have to be quiet.

DE: Outside of your career at Disney, what are you most proud of? What is legacy to you?

MB: My journey is a great American success story, not just for me but for my family as well. My parents were good, hardworking high school sweethearts who grew up in North Carolina during the Great Depression. 

Eventually, they moved to California, hoping for a better life, and started a family. Family is very important to me, and I am active in my church, so those two areas of my life kept me grounded and balanced.  I’m proud of my unbelievable Disney career, which includes lots of fun and misadventures with celebrities, artists, authors, and athletes. 

I’m also proud to be the co-founder of PULSE, which stands for People United to Lead Serve and Excel.  It started as a Disneyland Resort diversity resource group—now better known as a BERG - Business Employee Resource Group. 

I co-created PULSE as an in-company community where cast members and salaried staff of color can freely embrace their culture and exchange experiences while positively contributing to the success of Disneyland Resort by being a sounding board, advocacy group, and advisement resource.

Now, after being designated a Disney Legend, I want people to be inspired by my story. If a little girl from Watts (who was told by her high school counselor that she would never make it in corporate America) can indeed make it, so can you! I want to remind people that they have the magic to make your own dream come true.  

“Groundbreaking Magic” is available wherever you get your books and audiobooks.

Our special thanks to Martha Blanding for contributing to this story!

STILL TO COME: A peek at the first-ever Pixar series, Win or Lose!

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• Disney’s Hulu + Live TV will be merging with sports service Fubo, which clears the lawsuit and the way for Disney/Fox/Warner Bros. to start their own new sports streaming service called Venu.

Tyrus Wong stepped into his spotlight.

Tyrus Wong worked as a concept artist for Walt Disney and his then-growing animation studio when Walt began seeing and then admiring his work as a “background artist,” a technical term in animation that had artists focus on the background or settings that the animated characters would act ‘in’.

Even though Walt told many of his other background artists to emulate Tyrus’ art style for the film they were working on, “Bambi,” Wong ended up only working with Disney for three years.

“And that’s where the real stories of Tyrus begin,” said Karen Fang.

Tyrus Wong

As a film scholar and cultural critic, Fang’s fascination with Wong in 2018, after his passing and after the release of a documentary by Pamela Tom was released in 2015. “Like many in those proceeding years, I found my connections with him as a fellow Asian American and someone who admires art” Fang said.

In her book “Background Artist,” Fang tells the wider and deeper story of Wong as an Asian who expressed life through his art. “Disney was a jumping-off point for him as he continued to do art that was rooted in his Chinese ethnicity and his life experience as an American,” Fang shared.

Born in 1910, Wong’s first experience in America was shrouded by the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigrants from entering the country. He was only 9, but through forged papers and along the steadfast care of his father, Wong and his father eventually found their way to Los Angeles, California.

Wong had a creative spirit to him from his youth, having blended his love for drawing and painting with the Chinese styles of those creative expressions. From there, he got a scholarship to attend Otis Art School that plucked him out of poverty in Chinatown and introduced him to white establishment culture. That culture in Los Angeles provided him an opportunity after graduation to sell his own fine art to wealthy people, while still having a solid connection to his Chinese roots.

Fang said that this creative and lived duality opened so many doors for him, including Walt Disney, who “valued what people brought to the table and not who was bringing things to it.” Still, Wong was given a remedial task alongside his white animator leaders until he decided to take a creative risk and developed concept art boards for the film that were more naturalistic to reflect the world of Bambi. 

Tyrus Wong’s concept art for Walt Disney’s “Bambi.”

“He essentially sneaked in a Chinese painting style that focused on smooth brushwork into these background boards that he believed were more fitting for the animated animals,” said Fang, who added that in a way he brought something uniquely himself in a creative environment that didn’t necessarily accept his unique self as a Chinese artist.

It was this posture of knowing his creative ability and not settling for creative inferiority that only opened more doors and opportunities for Wong for the rest of his life, even until his passing at 106 years old in 2016.

Fang added, “So he’s much more than a background concept artist. [Tyrus] showed us that art could be a way to empathy and community building; that creativity and artistry can be a way to persevere and be rewarded.”

You can read the full story on Tyrus Wong in Karen Fang’s book, “Background Artist,” which is available wherever you get your books.

STILL TO COME: A look inside the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia in the world.

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

Moana 2 from Walt Disney Animation Studios broke box office records, adding to the growing statistics that moviegoing isn’t dead. According to Deadline, the tv series-turned-movie-sequel broke many records including having the highest Thanksgiving Day of all time by far grossing $28 million in the United States, surpassing the previous record-holder Frozen 2 with $15 million.

Jon Watts (R) with the kid cast of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

I was sent the screeners for the new Star Wars series, “Skeleton Crew,” last week, but I was weary. It has been a while since anything of note has come from Lucasfilm, and I think that the team there knows it.

So it was a surprising delight when I sped through the first three episodes that I was sent. The binge-behavior for TV hasn’t happened since FX/Hulu’s “The Bear.” As for why I have loved “Skeleton Crew” so far (with seven more episodes due out for its first season), it probably as to do with the following:

• It feels nostalgic. I grew up in the early 1990s, so any movie or TV show that reminds me of those days really exploits that soft spot in my heart. Skeleton Crew’s premise centers around kids wanting to find adventure right in their backyard, so don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re watching a futuristic version of “The Goonies” or “Hook” as you watch. It all may make you feel all warm (and old) all over again.

• It’s set in Star Wars suburbia. Star Wars has always been about setting its stories in a distant future in galaxies far, far away. So that’s why it was so surprising to have Skeleton Crew take place in a somewhat familiar place. The city where Wim, Neel, KB, and Fern live on the planet At Attin is definitely relatable with the houses with garages that house ‘cars’ that are connected to tracks. It’s all mysterious as you’ll see, but it does add a form of connection that is welcome.

• It is fun. I know George Lucas wanted Star Wars to be a space opera with lots of drama and even scary elements. From what I’ve seen so far in these first three episodes, I dare to think that Star Wars can also be fun and lighthearted too. The dynamics between the kid characters and the stakes of their adventure through space are just plain fun and we should be very okay with that.

• It’s made by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford. Jon and Christopher were the director and writer (respectively) duo who were responsible for Spider-Man: Homecoming and the proceeding movies of that Tom Holland-led version of the Marvel Studios franchise. Like what this team did for that world and now this one paid off. Kids that just being kids going off and getting into good trouble is sometimes all we need.

I’m very much looking forward to watching the rest of what the first season of Skeleton Crew has in store for us viewers who want to see Star Wars back in its storytelling stride. If what we’ve seen so far is any indication, I will hang with this crew into the galaxy for the foreseeable future!

STILL TO COME: A Disney book gift guide for the holidays!

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• A new highly-anticipated video game called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is starting to get previewed by media. Here’s an early review of a preview. The game launches on December 9 for Xbox, Windows, and Steam.

• runDisney continues to hold its races at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. Here’s a look at the medals for the 2025 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend.

• ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro is building the sports media brand for a new generation with the inclusion of AI to bolster its stats, and new coverage on women’s sports and video game streaming and competition. Read more here.

Behind the [John Williams] Music.

The moment you hear the name ‘John Williams’ and you are immediately making a connection to his movie music. But did you know that before his cinematic scores, he was an accomplished jazz pianist and composer?

And before all of that, did you know that he had a classical piano background and played the piano almost constantly when he was a kid to the point that his mom was quoted as saying that he’d break it because of how much he practiced on it?

Nobody apart from maybe his frequent collaborator Steve Spielberg did anyone know who John Williams was apart from his themes for “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” and so much more. In a way, the maestro to the movies didn’t want to be put into the spotlight.

Williams (R) and Bouzereau (L)

“I’d been asking him for years about doing a documentary on him, and he always said no,” said director Laurent Bouzereau. “It wasn’t until I offered to make a documentary on the music did he begin to let his guard down.”

With that focus and some encouragement from friends like Spielberg and Ron Howard, Bouzereau directed the first-ever documentary on John Williams that would be about John’s life, but more about his full life of music, including his humble beginnings of writing music for TV shows like “Gilligan’s Island.”

Music by John Williams is first and foremost a documentary about the craft of music and music-making. In a world filled with YouTube tutorials and technology that allows anyone the ease-of-access to make a song, Williams reminds audiences that nothing replaces hard work at the piano. Literally.

One of the music memorable parts captured of Williams’ life was a segment toward the beginning that just has a camera pointed at Williams in the part of his house where his piano and adjoining music stand are. Williams played a score while Bouzereau asked about how he can write something so catchy and beautiful. Williams responded by simply reminding people that while it might be more efficient to use computers to write his music, he uses a simple pencil, barred line paper, and his analog piano to create. “It might be faster to use what’s new, but I’d much prefer doing it the way I’ve written all my scores,” he says matter-of-factly.

Williams loves to conduct as much as he loved writing the scores.

That call to musical craft is often his response to many creative process questions. Throughout the documentary, you are reminded that Williams got to be so great in making music because he was a musician who loved performing and wanted to get better all the time. Like Bouzereau’s promise to Williams, the documentary focuses less on Williams’ life and times and more about how his life experience informed how he wrote his music.

For example, there’s a part in the documentary that goes over the death of Williams’ first wife due to an aneurysm. Through a soundbite from one of Williams’ grandchildren, it goes into how his movie music shifted in writing and tone (like in Schindler’s List), “It was as if he was using his compositions to grieve and fight for something better,” said one of his grandchildren.

This back-and-forth dance between life experience and composition gives way to giving audiences a peek into how his craft also was bundled into emotional expression in a lot of his iconic scores. There’s a segment in the documentary the feels like almost a ‘greatest hits’ section for scores that Williams wrote for big culture-shifting films like including “Jurassic Park,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Home Alone,” as well as the lesser-known films that had equally memorable soundtracks like “The Terminal,” “War Horse,” and “Lincoln.”

By the end of the hour-and-a-half documentary, you’ll come away with not only knowing the breadth of music that he writes, but that if you have a creative craft, you should hone it until it’s the way you like it- and not to be more perfect. And that’s difficult considering that maybe all of us would say that Williams’ music is perfect.

Williams (L) and Spielberg (R)

But the maestro to our life’s soundtrack had the final word in his documentary that sums it all up- “Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.”

Special thanks to AFI Fest for inviting us to the world premiere of Music by John Williams to write this review.

STILL TO COME: A look at the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia in the world!

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Extra! Extra! A special edition story from us here at DE- a bit of Los Angeles Dodgers history for you as both the Dodgers and the Yankees duke it out in the World Series.

Disney (L) and O’Malley (R)

Penthouse > Dugout.

Did you know that former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley was good friends with another Walt, Walt Disney!

The two Walts admired each other for what each was known for. As the story goes, O’Malley admired Disney for the attempt at creating an amazing guest experience with Disneyland, and Disney returned that admiration for O’Malley and his desire to create a storied sports venue for his then-Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team.

In a letter to O’Malley dated 1958, Disney seemed fascinated by the stadium and asked O’Malley to keep him updated about the “Chavez Ravine project.” 

When Dodgers Stadium finally opened and the team made the official move from New York to California in 1962, O’Malley did follow up with a letter to Disney and invited him over, asking “if you’d go over the layout with me, I’d be delighted to get your reactions, good or bad.”

Disney ended up taking up O’Malley’s invitation to visit. While no record of specifically when or what they discussed has been recorded, a rep for the Dodgers did mention to us that one thing that O’Malley was inspired by Disney was his personal apartment inside Disneyland above the Main Street U.S.A. firehouse.

O’Malley wanted to create something similar to that for himself, his wife Katherine, and their kids. The owners “Penthouse” apartment was supposed to be located at the very top of Dodgers Stadium where the nosebleed seats are today at center field, but where the best view of the whole stadium and surrounding scenic L.A. area.

While those plans for the penthouse apartment never came to fruition, the infrastructure for it can still be seen with the awning-like fins that shade the top part of the stadium today.

The view from what would be the owners penthouse apartment

O’Malley’s owners penthouse apartment was supposed to be at the very top of Dodgers Stadium where the shade awnings are today.

It’s very cool to learn that two of Los Angeles’ biggest dreamers ended up building their own “kingdoms” to the benefit of all who visit.

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Before that story, here’s what you should also know this week

• Holidays at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort are quickly approaching. Beginning mid-November, both resorts have returning offerings of attraction overlays, merchandise, and food & beverages. Check the Disney Park Blog for details.

• Music by John Williams, the official feature-length documentary on the legendary movie music maestro had its world premiere at AFI Fest last week. Our editor-in-chief Jordie Poblete had posted his reaction on X. Look for a full review later this week. It’s coming to Disney+ on November 1.

• Directing at Disney is a new book by Pixar chief Pete Docter and Don Peri chronicling what it was like for Walt Disney to direct the first-ever animated films and how directors work at the company now. It’s out now.

She is Moana. Still.

Stepping foot into the Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California, you’re immediately met with how storied the studio is. 

As you get to see in the short film from last year “Once Upon a Studio,” the halls are lined with reminders of legacy–and originality. Not to speak for everyone in the building, but original stories are still made there, even if that originality has to come through sequels.

Case in point? Moana 2.

We were invited by the studio to get a first-look at the animated feature sequel that will continue the story of Moana, her village, and the friends she made along the way like Maui. With the first film establishing pretty much everything you need to get this proceeding film, this is where the originality begins.

Firstly original idea? Moana 2 was supposed to be a TV show. That decision to carry on Moana’s journey on Disney+ was more a business decision from a previous company leader, but with movie theaters opening back up and drawing audiences slowly back in, new leadership at Disney saw the value of the franchise and this new story.

“Bob [Iger] and the studio leadership not only knew the value of Moana as a business. They also knew Moana as a heroine whose new story required the full ocean,” said David G. Derrick one of the directors at the early press preview.

Those invited outlets, including DisneyExaminer, got to see the first 30-minutes of the film, and by some accounts of the journalists who watched, it was enjoyable. It didn’t take a lot of time for the introduction of a new original ensemble of characters like Loto and the teasing of a new foe who we only got to hear and not see.

As for the plot of the new film, we won’t spoil that and only say that it was neatly tucked into that half-hour we saw. So in effect, think about it all as an understandable and enjoyable season premiere of one of your favorite TV shows. But with any preview, it may take a turn into territory you least expect.

“I think what we did with this sequel is go deeper into who Moana is, and like anything else, when you find depth with anyone, there’s bound to be a point where it breaks your heart,” said writer and director Dana Ledoux Miller.

What is sure to break your heart and mend it back up again is the new music that was written for Moana 2. Building on the musical foundations from the original film created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa'i, singer-songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear come by the press preview lunch and performed a selection of new songs that will be in the movie, including “We’re Back,” which plays during the beginning 30-minute opening sequence. The duo, known as Bear & Barlow in the indie music world, felt a deep connection to the music of the first film and only wanted to honor it with their new compositions.

“I think it was easier for us to write these songs because we feel so connected to Moana herself. She’s a warrior, royalty, curious, and creative– just like us and I know so many other girls out there,” said both Barlow and Bear.

So many girls since the first Moana film have not only adopted Moana’s music to be a part of their regular playlist, but her being as well because the Polynesian people and culture once again take an authentic part in the storytelling.

To help guide using real life as inspiration like the first film, Disney Animation formed a group of people that would become their Oceanic Culture Trust. Similar to the famed “story trust” systems at both Disney Animation and Pixar that help guide the narrative of their movies, the Oceanic Culture Trust is brought in to advise on all the cultural aspects of each movie.

For Moana 2, members of the Culture Trust included those who specialized in things that are unique to Polynesian cultures including dance, wayfinding, sailing, food, and even language. The language used in Moana’s world is actually not a specific Polynesian language, but a combination of all the dialects used by the people in Polynesia.

“I think that’s something that is overlooked with these movies: we created an original language that was inspired by all of our peoples’ languages. For a Disney movie. That’s crazy!,” said Lāiana Kanoa-Wong, a cultural consultant on the Oceanic Culture Team.

Put all together, Moana 2 is original in it being a sequel. No matter how many forms it took to get it to be released in theaters this year, the team at Disney Animation have once again found a reason to proudly add it to its long legacy of telling great stories.

Disney’s Moana 2 comes ashore at your local theaters on November 27, 2024.

STILL TO COME: A look at the life of Disney Legend and concept artist Tyrus Wong with a new book by Karen Fang

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