Disney Confirms Moana 2 In November–See The First Look

By Allison Kong on 08 Feb 2024

Moana and Maui are riding the waves back to the big screen, with Moana 2 making its way to theatres in November, as announced by Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger on Wednesday.

Photo from Walt Disney Animation Studios

Initially planned as a TV series, the film follows Moana as she sets sail on a journey to the far reaches of Oceania, answering the call of her ancestors. "Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise," Iger said. "We can't wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theatres this November."

Walt Disney shared the first look of Moana 2 and showed us a glimpse of Motunui Island again. Check out the teaser below:

Dave Derrick Jr. will direct Moana 2, featuring music composed by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, along with Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa'i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina. Disney has yet to confirm the cast for the sequel, but in the original Moana movie, Auliʻi Cravalho voiced the character of Moana, while Dwayne Johnson took on the role of the demigod Maui.

Photo from Walt Disney Animation Studios

The first film grossed over $680 million worldwide at the box office and has been streamed for more than 1 billion hours on Disney+.

Last year, Dwayne Johnson announced that he is currently working on a live-action version of Moana for Disney. However, Auliʻi Cravalho will not be reprising her role as Moana. She believes it is absolutely vital that casting accurately represents the characters and stories they want to tell.

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“I’m truly honoured to pass this baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent to honour our incredible Pacific peoples, cultures, and communities that help inspire her story, and I look forward to the beautiful Pacific representation to come,” she said. While the 22-year-old actress hails from Native Hawaiian descent, she also has Irish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Puerto Rican heritage. However, in the movie, Moana's depiction is solely of Polynesian background.