DUBAI: Out now in cinemas across the Middle East, Walt Disney Animation Studio’s highly anticipated “Moana 2” reunites audiences with its seafaring heroine (Auli’i Cravalho) and her best buddy Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson).

Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, the sequel sees Moana journey to the far seas of Oceania for a new adventure after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors.

The filmmakers said that they were especially committed to representing the Pacific Island communities and peoples respectfully and with integrity, and that meant turning to the Oceanic Cultural Trust once again for guidance.

As with the first film, the “Moana 2” filmmakers assembled a team of cultural experts in anthropology, history, dance and movement, canoes and navigation, linguistics and various cultural practices from the Pacific Islands.

“I think we’re just really fortunate to work with our Oceanic Cultural Trust, led by Kalikolehua Hurley. We all care really deeply about the world of ‘Moana,’ and want to get it right. We definitely wanted to be intentional about the cultural nuances and home in on it, whether it was with clothing or designs in any way, but we also just wanted to create a movie that felt true to what it means to be from the Pacific,” said co-director Hand in an interview with Arab News.

“I would say that we really let Moana sort of dictate where the story goes,” added co-director Ledoux Miller. “We were really intentional about building off that foundation of the first film and thinking really carefully about what that first journey was. It was a story of identity and of her really coming into her own. So, it felt like a really natural extension that we would continue that idea of self-growth and evolution. We love the idea that as you grow as a leader, you learn new things about yourself, and you have to realize that you never stop discovering new depths to yourself and new things that you’re capable of.”

Being of Samoan descent, Ledoux Miller said that she felt the weight of representing her community through filming and beyond.

“I would say it’s front of mind even right now, it’s every day. To be a part of making the key creative decisions for creating this film was truly an honor, but absolutely a responsibility as well. I feel very protective of my community, but I feel protective of Moana too. I’m also like a Moana fan, and I want to do right by her, but I couldn’t be prouder of what we put together, and I’m so excited for my family to see this. I think I’ll breathe a little easier once they do,” she said.

One of the main new characters we meet in “Moana 2” is Simea, Moana’s younger sibling (voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda).

“The first film was really about Moana connecting to her past, and as this story is really all about the future and where she is going to bring her people, it made so much sense to put in an emotional relationship that she has with her little sister, and that embodiment of the future is right there for her. I think you really fall in love with the relationship from the first moment that you see them together, and that lasts all the way until the very end of the film,” Hand said.

RIYADH: What does video gaming and the orchestra have in common? Collaboration, immersive experiences, and the art of storytelling at its finest.

The world-renowned Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra spoiled guests with two nights of concerts powered by Qiddiya Gaming at Princess Nourah University’s Red Hall on Thursday and Friday.

Producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV Naoki Yoshida and renowned sound editor and composer Masayoshi Soken took the opportunity to introduce themselves to a full house of fans, wearing traditional Saudi thobes.

Arab News had the opportunity to interview Yoshida, Soken, senior story designer Natsuko Ishikawa, and localization supervisor Michael-Christopher Koji Fox.

Yoshida expressed his gratitude toward the game’s loyal fans in the Middle East, saying: “I’m really appreciative of the fans in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia that have loved the Final Fantasy franchise.

“We are finally here to give back to the community that’s loved us and supported us for so long. To be able to bring them the excitement, we are bringing them sound and music.

“We don’t envision this as the end; we envision this as something that’s going to connect us into the future.”

In the first part of the concert, the orchestra performed works like “Victory Fanfare” and “Moebius.”

In order to give gamers a true gaming experience, Soken had the idea of creating the same in-game pause during the orchestra’s performance to reflect the battle in the game.

Soken said: “During that battle, there’s an in-game mechanic where time stops and the player stops, so when playing that song in concert we want the players to feel like that in music; the game experience and their memories of the game are connected in that way.

“We wanted to figure out a way to recreate that time stop while being played in the concert by an orchestra. So the idea we came up with is if time stops in the game, how about making the concert stop?”

Soken’s idea was turned into reality and the crowd was in awe as the orchestra paused for a few seconds.

In charge of creating graphics and videos, Ishikawa said her job was about picking scenes that resonated with the players.

She said: “What we created here feels like it was created by the Final Fantasy development team, even though it’s a concert.”

Unlike a typical concert, in which each song evokes different emotions to each individual, Soken said gaming concerts created a joint emotional experience.

Soken said: “With a game concert, everyone is experiencing the same thing because they experienced the same game, so everyone shares that excitement.”

More than 100 musicians traveled from Japan, accompanied by vocalists, to bring the soundtrack from Final Fantasy XIV to life.

Soken said: “We know that Saudi Arabia and Japan have a long history of friendly collaboration but there has not been a lot with music, and there’s probably been nothing with gaming music.

“The people that experience (the concert) will be able to go home and tell their friends how exciting an experience it was and how these people from Japan brought this great thing that we have never seen before.”

The event also offered fans a dedicated merchandise area featuring exclusive items and other products shipped directly from Tokyo.

Diamond ticket holders also had the opportunity to meet Yoshida, Soken, Ishikawa, and Fox, receiving a signed poster and photo.

With over 30 million total registered players, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most popular MMORPG games today, while Qiddiya, which was launched in 2018 under the leadership of King Salman, is an emerging capital for entertainment, sports and culture that aims to enhance the quality of life of visitors and residents.