David G. Derrick Jr. takes the helm of the “Moana” animated series for Disney +

David G. Derrick Jr. of Walt Disney Animation Studios has been named director of the upcoming musical series Moana Moana+disney, for Disney +. Derrick, a respected story artist in the industry, first joined Disney Animation to work on the feature film by Moana Moana+disney - and in so doing, he reconnected to his family's Samoan roots. He was deeply involved in storyboarding some of the film's most iconic moments.

“Working on Moana was a gift, personally and professionally,” says Derrick. "The film Moana captured and shared the spirit of Polynesia with the world. I am honored to continue its history and to celebrate the rich and beautiful cultures of the Pacific Islands ”.

Derrick joins the Oscar nominee il producer, Osnat Shurer, of the series. "Dave's great instinct for story, his visionary cinematic style and his deep love and commitment to Moana and the Pacific Island cultures that inspired his world make him a perfect director for the series," says Shurer. .

While Derrick and his team are in development, the recently announced new Walt Disney Animation Studios in Vancouver, which will be the production location for the series, are ramping up their staff as the Studio approaches its official opening in 2022. .

“We were thrilled with the positive response from the community. Over the next few months we will continue to post staffing positions for our studio, and with the talent we have here, and the fact that our teams' first project together will be the series of Moana, I can't think of a better way to launch the study, ”says Amir Nasrabadi, head of WDAS Vancouver.

Adds Shurer, “Exploring Moana's story further is really exciting for us, particularly in this series of extremely cinematic, musical and long-running events, and we can't wait to meet all the amazing artists who will join Disney Animation. Vancouver to help bring Moana's next wonderful trip to life! "

From the first departure with Moana (2016), Derrick lent his story artist and boarding talents to Jon Favreau The Lion King (2019) Raya and the last dragon e Encanto for Disney. Prior to joining the studio, he worked on DreamWorks Animation feature films, including How to train your dragon, Megamind, rise of the Guardians e bee movies, as well as the series FAST turbo, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes e The LeBrons.

WDAS Vancouver is now hiring staff; visit www.disneyanimation.com/careers for more information.