Exciting First Look at Disney’s Moana 2
Disney released the first teaser for Moana 2, which will be swimming into theaters later this year.
On February 7, Disney Animation announced their surprise plans for a sequel to the 2016 film Moana. The official release date is November 27, 2024, which will likely push back their agenda for a live-action remake of the original film. Although the remake is slated to hit theaters in June 2025, insiders report that this date will likely be pushed back to give both films room to breathe.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney initially developed Moana 2 as an animated TV series. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger and entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman decided to upgrade it to a theatrical release. They based this choice on the strength of the current project and on the streaming success the original Moana had on Disney+.
“The original Moana film recently crossed 1 billion hours streamed on Disney+ and was the most streamed movie of 2023 on any platform in the U.S. Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise, and we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theaters this November,”stated Iger.
According to People, the film will be spearheaded by Dave Derrick Jr., who has a long history with Disney. He was a story artist for the original Moana, as well as for Encanto, and Raya and the Last Dragon. The songwriting team is packed with Grammy nominees and winners, including Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, and Opetaia Foa’i. However, Lin Manuel Miranda is not expected to return to the Moana 2 songwriting team.
Here we go with MOANA 2! pic.twitter.com/nLS29cUyv1
— Faisal Karim (@Le__FaiCee) February 7, 2024
Auli’i Cravalho will presumably reprise her titular role as Moana in the upcoming sequel and Dwayne Johnson will return as Maui, the shapeshifting demigod. A press release from Disney indicates that along with Moana and Maui, the film will boast “a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers.”
More casting details should be coming soon. Cravalho recently shared a TikTok video about her friends finding out about Moana 2 through a Disney Animation post instead of through her. Many fans commented with their realizations about the sequel through Cravalho’s video. “Didn’t believe it until I heard it from you,” stated TikTok user Sofia.
First ‘Moana 2’ teaser. pic.twitter.com/0uXp7KURsF
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 7, 2024
You can watch the official Moana 2 teaser here. Check out the Moana 2 teaser below. In the meantime, the first Moana is available to stream on Disney+.
Writer