'She's Growing' (Exclusive): Moana ...

Auli'i Cravalho is spilling details on one of the most anticipated sequels of the year! The 23-year-old actress tells PEOPLE that she feels thankful for getting to be a big part of Moana 2, which sees her reprise her voice role of the titular island princess

Published Time: 16.07.2024 - 20:31:09 Modified Time: 16.07.2024 - 20:31:09

Auli'i Cravalho is spilling details on one of the most anticipated sequels of the year!

The 23-year-old actress tells PEOPLE that she feels thankful for getting to be a big part of Moana 2, which sees her reprise her voice role of the titular island princess.

"She's growing. She is pushing herself now even further beyond the reef," says Cravalho, who has partnered with SHEBA and Kuleana Coral Reefs for a short-film series titled "Growing Hope in Hawai'i," in honor of Coral Reef Awareness Week.

The actress goes on to say that over the past nearly eight years since the first movie's release, she "felt like I grew right along with" Moana.

"The recording booth is truly my happy place, and I'm grateful to come back to this character that I know so well, but also take her on a completely different journey," says the Hawaii native.

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Per the official tagline from Disney, Moana 2 follows the titular character after she receives “an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors” and takes a journey “to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.”

Directed by Dave Derrick Jr., the animated sequel will feature original characters such as Moana and Maui — the latter voiced once again by Dwayne Johnson, who will also appear as the popular troublemaking demigod in the upcoming live-a -

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ction Moana adaptation. Additionally, Johnson, 52, and Cravalho are part of the producing team for the live-action film.

For Cravalho, it's been quite the personal journey from the first Moana movie in 2016 to the "many iterations" of what a follow-up might look like, including conversations about a potential series before it turned into a feature film.

She also admits she "had no idea" that Moana would ever get a sequel when she signed on for the first film, but that movies like Frozen II and Inside Out 2 have given her extra hope about Moana 2.

"I think we're in the era of really good sequels, and I'm happy to be a part of it," Cravalho tells PEOPLE.

Asked whether she gets recognized often in public as Moana, Cravalho says she actually gets a lot of comments about a more recent character she has portrayed.

"I've been recognized more and more for Janis 'Imi'ike from Mean Girls, which was a nice surprise because I also shaved my head," she shares. "I was expecting a little more anonymity, because I have a deliciously boyish haircut right now. Wrong. I walk into Walmart and they're like, 'Hey, really love you in that musical.' I go, 'Oh my God.' "

"I didn't expect to be known like that. Is it nice? I don't know," Cravalho adds. "I'm just trying to buy beans. I'm not trying to be recognized everywhere. But it's very heartwarming."

Moana 2 sails into theaters Nov. 27.