In a surprising move, Bob Iger just announced on CNBC that the animated hit Moana is getting a sequel and it’s coming later this year. The first movie was a hit, earning $680 million at the box office. But it really exploded once it hit streaming on Disney+. It has now amassed over one billion views.
Just to be clear, this is not the live-action adaptation that was announced last year. That movie is still on track to come out in 2025.
This Moana sequel was originally intended to be a TV series. According to Iger, it was later decided to turn it into a film. As he stated:
“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.”
(Translation: A TV series isn’t going to make any money, whereas a theatrical movie will.)
The synopsis for Moana 2 reads:
“Moana 2” takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui, and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
It wasn’t announced whether or not the original voice cast headed up by Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson will return. Johnson previously confirmed that he will play Maui in the live-action version, but Cravalho has stated that she will not be back for that version. But it is possible that she might lend her voice to this animated sequel. After all, she did reprise the role for Ralph Breaks the Internet, although it was a small cameo. She has also continued to work with Disney on other projects.
The animated Moana 2 will be directed by Dave Derrick Jr., with music from Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina. (But NOT, as you may have noticed, Lin-Manuel Miranda.)
Moana 2 will be released in theaters on November 27, which is the day before Thanksgiving in the U.S. Are you excited to see this sequel?
