KO OLINA, Hawaii (KHON2) — How does the second Moana compare to the first for you personally in creating that circle?

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“We brought the first Moana to market with great pride for our people and our culture, and many people around the world embraced it and loved it,” said Johnson.

World Premiere of “Moana 2” held at Disney Aulani Resort

“And the second Moana, what I think about the second Moana is, there it is. I feel like sometimes the world needs certain things at certain times in the world. Needs certain things, right? So there’s a lot of noise in the world right now. There’s a lot of downward pressure, a lot of judging, naming, blaming, shaming, and all that happens. There’s a lot of good happening out there. And what I feel Moana represents is the good things. And I feel like Moana 2, I mentioned this yesterday to Bob Iger, who is the chairman of Disney, and that’s what we find out and realize that Moana is the movie that the movie needs? Of course, it depends on how you look at the world. But the world anticipates it, and there’s a real difference between needing something, wanting something, and anticipating it until it comes, and that’s what Moana represents. That’s what we feel, so it’s something very special.”

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“So what I like to do is when things get a little wobbly, my anchor is really back with my family,” Johnson said.

“And it’s the simple core things, like, I know it sounds weird and simple, but hanging out with the babies and having a conversation or talking about something crazy or grabbing them and saying, ‘let’s go, let’s go do this, let’s do that.’ Let’s go fishing, let’s go hiking, let’s do these things.’ It’s something as simple as the core. And so what I’m going to do is I’m going to remember how things once were for me, and so for me, Hawaii is always home. But early on in my life, when I was in elementary school, middle school, and high school, things got tough here on the island, so it represents struggle and resilience and things like that.

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“And I will say, because you mentioned depression and it’s such a big problem, but we as men, especially Polynesian men, tend not to be our lead foot, we’re not raised to say ‘hey, let’s talk about it.’ Talk about your feelings, it’s okay. The term we use today: “vulnerability is our strength” and I love that term because it is true, but it is not, it is not in our nature and certainly not in our front foot. So over the years I’ve come to realize that it’s so important to ask for help and say, “I’m not doing well right now.” But I realized it the moment you said, “Hey, I’m not doing well. Can I talk? Can we talk?’ The universe, God, man, people come right in, and they meet you halfway and they’re there.”

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