Of all the Disney movies that have come out in recent years, Moana is generally agreed to be one of the best. But was it successful enough to warrant a sequel? For years, Disney was quiet about the possibility of Moana 2, but today the studio announced that the film is indeed in the works—and it’s coming later this year.
At a 2020 Disney investor’s meeting, it was announced that a Moana animated series would premiere on Disney Plus in 2023. However, Disney has now decided to release the project as a film instead.
Disney releases Moana 2 first look
In a press release, Disney announced that the second Moana movie will be hitting theaters on November 27, 2024. “After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors,” the press release states, “Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.” Moana will be rejoined by Maui, along with “a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers.”
Disney also released an image and video from the new film. The image shows Moana sailing a canoe, with a spirit whale swimming underneath her.
And here’s the first look teaser, which shows Moana landing on a new island!
Moana: How Far She Went
Moana, which came out in 2016, tells the story of the restless daughter of a Polynesian chief. While her father and everyone else in her village is content to stay on their island home, Moana dreams of exploring the ocean around them. When a mysterious blight starts to threaten the fish and crops that the village depends on, Moana’s grandmother reveals that their ancestors were accomplished explorers, and tells Moana that she must find the trickster god Maui and make him return the heart of the fertility goddess Te Fiti, which he stole generations ago.
When Moana came out, it was a phenomenon, earning $646 million at the box office and becoming an instant classic. With original songs by Lin Manuel Miranda and a stunning breakthrough performance by Auli’i Cravalho as Moana, the movie was important not just because it was a gorgeously written and animated story, but because it had Polynesian actors and writers at the helm.
Dave Derrick Jr. will direct the Moana sequel, with music by Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
