PremiumGet ready to voyage! Moana 2 release date officially announced
Disney's Moana franchise sets sail once more with the sequel's surprise theatrical release announcement
Last Updated: 09.01 AM, Feb 08, 2024
Once again, the boundary between land and sea beckons Moana. On November 27, Disney will release a sequel to Moana in theatres. In the days leading up to Disney's first quarter fiscal 2024 earnings announcement, CEO Bob Iger broke the news on CNBC. He was so enamoured with the footage that the second Moana turned into a feature film, even though it had its origins as a TV series.
A new voyage for Moana
According to Variety, Iger stated that the Moana franchise is still going strong. They are eagerly anticipating the November release of Moana 2 so the fans can see more of Moana and Maui. Disney has said that the sequel will have an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui, and an unexpected company of sailors. Her navigational ancestors unexpectedly summoned Moana to sail the oceans of Oceania, plunging her into perilous, long-lost waters and thrusting her into an extraordinary adventure unlike any she has ever experienced.
Check out the release date announcement below:
Returning cast members Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow, as well as original members Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina, will contribute to the sequel's music. Dave Derrick Jr. is directing the sequel. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songwriter of How Far I'll Go and You're Welcome, is not anticipated to contribute new songs to the sequel.
Financial success of Moana and decision for sequel
Walt Disney Pictures' Moana was a financial triumph, earning over $680 million worldwide. With 1 billion hours streamed last year, the animated musical found fresh life on Disney+. In the wake of Disney's disappointing 2023 box office performance, Iger has decided to release Moana 2. Along with The Marvels, Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Wish was the latest in a string of disastrous animated features from Disney. Elemental from Pixar had a shaky beginning but managed to pull in $496 million worldwide in the end.
The studio's live-action version of Moana is ongoing, starring Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the tattooed demigod Maui; however, Moana 2 is unrelated to that project. Auli'i Cravalho, the voice actor for the 2016 film Moana, will return for the animated sequel. Even though she'll be an executive producer on the live-action remake, she won't be playing the lead role again.
Last May, she made a statement on Instagram about how crucial it is for casting to reflect the stories and characters they aim to portray. She added that the next actor to embody Moana's fearless spirit, irreproachable intelligence, and inner fortitude is someone she truly looks forward to discovering.