‘Moana 2’ technical director Norman Joseph on Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra making a mark in Hollywood: We should continue going global and making an impact – EXCLUSIVE | – Times of India

Norman Joseph, a creative mind hailing from the bustling streets of Mumbai, has carved an inspiring path from Bollywood’s heartland to the glitzy world of Hollywood. In a candid chat with ETimes, reflected on his early days in the industry that ultimately led to his rise to General Technical Director for the newly released animated film ‘Moana 2‘. Revealing how his passion for creativity was sparked during his college years, but he always had the filmy bug, since his childhood, growing up on the film sets in India as a child actor.

Opening up about his roots in Indian television, Norman said, “I started with PT Sagar on Doordarshan. It was an amazing opportunity…”
Admitting that ‘acting will always be my first love’, he opened up about choosing a career behind the lense. After working as a software engineer for four years, he decided to quit his job to pursue a degree in computer graphics. This decision paved the way for his entry into Hollywood’s animation industry. “It’s been an incredible journey, and I feel so fortunate for the opportunities I’ve received. Animation is such a collaborative medium—it’s all about a community coming together to create something beautiful and impactful,” he added.

In his role as a General Technical Director, Joseph played a crucial part in shaping the world of ‘Moana’ and its sequel ‘Moana 2’. For the sequel, he worked with the lighting department to enhance workflows and technology. As an Indian talent, Joseph has over the past decade, been consistently making his mark on global animated blockbusters since first working on ‘Big Hero 6’ in 2014.
While Norman Joseph boasts an impressive career behind the scenes, it’s not uncommon for Indian talents like him, working off-camera, to be overlooked, even when their contributions are significant. Public recognition often centres around actors such as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, and Deepika Padukone, who are credited as pioneers for making inroads into Hollywood.

Graciously acknowledging the recognition, Joseph says, “I really believe in making an impact,” and taking such dynamics in his stride he adds, “If an artist from India will make an impact on a content or movie in America, that is amazing. If I am making an impact in a movie that we are creating, that is amazing. We should continue going global and making a global impact. And that is helping everybody,” he shared.
‘Moana 2’ sees Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, and Alan Tudyk, reprising their roles from the first film, with Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser, and Gerald Ramsey joining the cast. The film sails into theatres in India today, November 29.