MOANA 2 Final Trailer (2024)

MOANA 2 Final Trailer (2024)

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MOANA 2 Trailer 2 (2024)
© 2024 - Walt Disney Studios

Moana 2

Theatrical release poster
Directed by
David Derrick Jr.[1]
Jason Hand[1]
Dana Ledoux Miller[1]
Screenplay by
Jared Bush[2]
Dana Ledoux Miller[2]
Produced by
Christina Chen[1]
Yvett Merino[1]
Starring
Auliʻi Cravalho
Dwayne Johnson
Temuera Morrison
Nicole Scherzinger
Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda
Rose Matafeo
David Fane
Hualālai Chung
Rachel House
Awhimai Fraser
Gerald Ramsey
Alan Tudyk
Music by
Mark Mancina (score and songs)
Opetaia Foaʻi (score and songs)
Abigail Barlow (songs)
Emily Bear (songs)
Production
company
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures[a]
Release date
November 27, 2024
Country United States
Language English
Moana 2 (also known as Vaiana 2[3] or Oceania 2[4] in some markets) is an upcoming American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The sequel to Moana (2016), the film was directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller (in their feature directorial debuts) and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, from a screenplay by Jared Bush and Miller.[1][2][5] The film stars Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, and Alan Tudyk, all reprising their roles from the first film, with Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser, and Gerald Ramsey joining the cast.

As Hollywood scrambled to generate revenue due to the theater closures caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns, development on Moana 2 began as a long-form limited streaming series for Disney+,[6] before being reworked into a theatrical sequel by February 2024, with Derrick confirmed as both writer and director. The involvement of Hand, Miller, Chen, and Merino was confirmed in May; a month later, Bush was confirmed to be returning as a writer. Miller later replaced Derrick as a co-writer in August. Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i, the composers and co-songwriters of the first film, returned to score and write the songs, while Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear replace Lin-Manuel Miranda as additional songwriters.

Moana 2 is scheduled to be released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in the United States on November 27, 2024.[7][8]

Premise
Three years after the events of the first film, Moana receives an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors and forms her own crew, reuniting with her friend, the demigod Maui. As they journey to the far seas of Oceania to break the god Nalo's curse on the hidden island of Motufetu, which once connected the people of the ocean, they confront old and new foes, including the Kakamora and underworld goddess Matangi.[9]

Cast
Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana,[10][11] the curious daughter of village chief Tui and his wife Sina, who she is chosen by the ocean to break the curse on the island of Motufetu.
Dwayne Johnson as Maui,[12][13] a strong-willed shapeshifting demigod who accompanies Moana on her journey.
Temuera Morrison as Tui, Moana's father and chief of Motunui Island.[9]
Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Moana's mother and Chieftess of Motunui.[9]
Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as Simea, Moana's little sister.[9]
Rose Matafeo as Loto, a "brainy but quirky" member of Moana's wayfinding crew.[9]
David Fane as Kele, a "grumpy farmer" and member of Moana's wayfinding crew.[9]
Hualālai Chung as Moni, a member of Moana's wayfinding crew and a fan of Maui's.[9]
Rachel House as Tala, Tui's late mother and Moana's paternal grandmother, who returns as a manta ray spirit.
Awhimai Fraser as Matangi, a mysterious threat to Moana and Maui.
Gerald Ramsey as Tautai Vasa, Moana's ancestor.
Alan Tudyk as Heihei,[14] Moana's pet rooster.
Production
Development
In December 2020, during a Disney Investor Day meeting, Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jennifer Lee announced that a long-form musical comedy series titled Moana: The Series, based on the 2016 film of the same name, was in development at the studio and set for release on Disney+ in 2023.[6][15] By August 2021, it was reported that Osnat Shurer would once again serve as producer.[16] In January 2022, it was announced that David Derrick Jr. would serve as the writer and director, after filling the role of storyboard artist of the first film.[17][18][19] The series entered development simultaneously with the live action remake of Moana according to Jared Bush, a writer of the film and screenplay writer of the 2016 animated film.[20]

In February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the series had been reworked into a theatrical sequel titled Moana 2, with Derrick and Shurer remaining attached to the project.[21] By the release of the first trailer in May, Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller were confirmed as co-directors alongside Derrick, while Christina Chen and Yvett Merino were revealed to replace Shurer as the film's producers.[1]

Casting
Shortly after the announcement that the series was being repurposed into a theatrical feature film, Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson were confirmed to reprise their respective roles as Moana and Maui.[10][11][12][13] Johnson later confirmed that he had been involved with the project since its conception, including its development, stating: "I can't wait for fans to see the film, the technology, the effects, cutting edge. We all really went for it. We thought if we're gonna make a sequel to something so beloved, let's really go for it."[12] Several more cast members were unveiled at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, including Temuera Morrison and Nicole Scherzinger reprising their roles as Moana's parents from the first film. New additions include Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as Moana's new sister, and Rose Matafeo, David Fane, and Hualālai Chung as members of Moana's wayfinding crew.[9]

Animation
Animation was handled at Walt Disney Animation Studios' Vancouver studio beginning when it was being developed as a series, while pre-production and storyboarding took place at the Burbank studio.[16] It is the first feature film to be made at the Vancouver studio,[16][22] but not the first project released, with Iwájú being released earlier that year. At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it was revealed that veterans Mark Henn and Eric Goldberg would supervise a team of apprentices of hand-drawn animators for Maui's tattoos. Goldberg was a supervising animator for "Mini Maui" for the first film.[9]

Music
Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi return to compose the film score, while Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear wrote the songs, replacing Lin-Manuel Miranda from the first film.[23][24] Cravalho stated that having Barlow and Bear, two young women, help voice Moana's "story, which is a young woman finding her way, I couldn't think of a better duo than Barlow and Bear. ... This is a new part of my voice. ... This film digs into these low notes in these times of indecision when we don't know what we are supposed to do next. There's a lot of deeper layers to these songs."[23]

Release

Dana Ledoux Miller, one of the film's three directors and two screenwriters

Auli'i Cravalho, the voice of Moana
Miller and Cravalho discussed their work on the film at D23 2024 in Anaheim, California.
Moana 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 27, 2024.[21][25]

Marketing
The first trailer for the film was released on May 29, 2024 after debuting at CinemaCon the month before.[1][26] A sneak peek at the film was screened at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2024.[27] The trailer earned over 178 million views in its first 24 hours across all platforms, breaking a new record as the most watched trailer of all time for a Disney animated film, a record previously held by Frozen II and Pixar's Inside Out 2 (the latter of which the trailer was attached to in the theaters).[28]

On August 9, 2024, Cravalho and Johnson appeared at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at the 2024 D23 Expo in Anaheim, California to promote the film and release a new trailer, which was released online shortly thereafter.[29] During the D23 presentation, Cravalho performed a new song from the film, "We're Back," accompanied by Polynesian dancers.[29] Johnson also used the presentation to announce a new live-action Monster Jam film that he would be producing with Disney.[30]

Localization
Like the first movie, Moana 2 is set to be released in European countries[31][32][33] with the title and protagonist's name changed to Vaiana due to a trademark conflict.[34]

Two special dubbings in Polynesian languages are set to be released for the sequel: a Hawaiian[35] and a Māori-language dubbings.[36] Both of these languages, together with a Tahitian dubbing released in 2016,[37] had previously received a dubbing of the first movie too: a Māori dubbing, directed by Rachel House,[38] had premiered in 2017,[39] while a Hawaiian one had premiered in 2018, with Auliʻi Cravalho reprising her role as Moana.[40] Auliʻi Cravalho is also set to reprise the lead-role in the Hawaiian dubbing of the sequel.[35]

Notes
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the Walt Disney Pictures banner.
References
"'Moana 2,: Disney Reveals New Teaser Trailer". The Walt Disney Company. May 29, 2024.
Giraud, Kevin (June 14, 2024). "New Details And Characters From 'Moana 2' Revealed At Annecy". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
"Vaiana 2 - Bande-annonce officielle | Disney". YouTube. August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
"Oceania 2 | Trailer Ufficiale | Dal 27 Novembre al Cinema". YouTube. August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
Richa (October 10, 2024). "एकदम नए खलनायक, नाविकों का एक अप्रत्याशित समूह और एक नया रोमांच, मोआना 2 का नवीनतम ट्रेलर आगामी सीक्वल की गहराई से जानकारी देता है". Dainik Savera Times | Hindi News Portal (in Hindi). Retrieved October 11, 2024.
"Full Panel - Disney Animation Studios - Investor Day 2020". YouTube. December 13, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
"Moana 2 Trailer: Auli'i Cravalho And Dwayne Johnson Head Into Uncharted Waters In Disney Sequel". Empire. August 10, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
Hungama, Bollywood (October 9, 2024). "Moana 2 new trailer: New threat and mysterious island await Moana and Maui; Disney Princess begins her journey to break the curse, watch - Bollywood Hungama". Retrieved October 11, 2024.
Reif, Alex (June 14, 2024). "Disney Unveils New Plot and Character Details for "Moana 2" at Annecy Festival Preview". Laughing Place. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
Chichizola, Corey (February 8, 2024). "Moana 2's Auli'i Cravalho Addresses Surprise Return To Disney Franchise With Hilarious Video". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 27, 2024). "'Moana 2': Auli'i Cravalho Is Definitely Returning To Disney Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
Gawley, Paige (February 8, 2024). "Dwayne Johnson Confirms the Live-Action 'Moana' Movie Has Found Its Star (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
Johnson, Dwayne [@TheRock] (February 8, 2024). "MOANA 2 11.27.24 🌴 🌊🪝" (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Twitter.
Gearan, Hannah (May 21, 2024). "Moana 2 Gets Major Update from Dwayne Johnson". ScreenRant. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
Holloway, Daniel (December 10, 2020). "'Moana,' 'Cars,' 'Princess and the Frog' Spinoff Series Set for Disney Plus". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 4, 2021). "Walt Disney Animation Amps Up Production With New Vancouver Studio, First Project Is 'Moana' Musical Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
Sarto, Debbie Diamond (January 21, 2022). "David Derrick Jr. to Direct Disney's 'Moana' Series". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
Sternberg, Sabrina (January 22, 2022). "Moana TV Series for Disney+ Finds Its Director in Story Artist David G. Derrick Jr". Collider. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
Bonomolo, Cameron (January 23, 2022). "Disney Animation Announces Disney+'s Moana: The Series Director". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
Bush, Jared [@thejaredbush] (April 3, 2023). "Oh yes. And it's phenomenal" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
Stephan, Katcy (February 7, 2024). "Moana 2 Set at Disney With Surprise 2024 Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
Donnelly, Matt (August 4, 2021). "Walt Disney Animation Opens New Vancouver Studio for Long-Form Series Production". Variety. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
Lenker, Maureen Lee. "Beyond the sea: Moana 2's Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson reflect on the unexpected path to their surprise sequel", Entertainment Weekly, September 12, 2024
Bregel, Sarah. "The strange journey behind the TikTok duo replacing Lin Manuel Miranda for the Moana sequel", BBC, February 13, 2024
Youngs, Ian (February 8, 2024). "Moana: Disney's hit animation to get surprise cinema sequel this year". BBC. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
Dick, Jeremy (May 28, 2024). "Moana 2 Gets First Poster Ahead of Trailer Release". CBR. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
"Moana 2", Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Retrieved May 8, 2024
D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 30, 2024). "Moana 2 Trailer Breaks Record As Most Watched Ever For Disney Animated Pic With 178M Views In 24 Hours". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
Giardina, Carolyn; Tangcay, Jazz (August 9, 2024). "'Moana 2' Trailer: Moana Fights Coconut Monsters With Dwayne Johnson's Maui in Sequel". Variety.
Bailey, Kat (August 9, 2024). "The Rock Starring Disney in Monster Jam, a Live-Action Movie About Monster Trucks - D23 2024". ign.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
"Nya äventyr väntar i "Vaiana 2" - här är vår första titt". MovieZine. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
Disney FR (August 10, 2024). Vaiana 2 - Bande-annonce officielle | Disney. Retrieved October 1, 2024 – via YouTube.
Disney Polska (August 9, 2024). Vaiana 2 - zwiastun #2 [dubbing]. Retrieved October 1, 2024 – via YouTube.
País, Ediciones El (October 11, 2015). "La princesa Moana en España se llamará Vaiana (y otros problemas de branding)". Verne (in Spanish). Retrieved October 1, 2024.
extratv (August 12, 2024). 'Moana 2': Auliʻi Cravalho Was Very IMPRESSED with The Rock's Singing! (Exclusive). Retrieved October 1, 2024 – via YouTube.
"Disney releases new trailer for Moana 2". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
Lacour, Quentin (June 5, 2020). "Moana en reo Tahiti • TNTV Tahiti Nui Télévision". TNTV Tahiti Nui Télévision (in French). Retrieved October 13, 2024.
Speak Māori (June 8, 2017). Te Reo Māori Moana Casting. Retrieved October 13, 2024 – via YouTube.
"Moana in Māori hits the big screen". RNZ. September 11, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
News, U. H. (May 1, 2018). "Disney's Moana to make world premiere in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at Ko Olina's World Oceans Day | University of Hawaiʻi System News". Retrieved October 13, 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
External links
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LOS ANGELES - "Moana 2," a sequel to Disney’s 2016 Oscar-nominated film, will be released in theaters in 2024.

The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger announced that the new animated film will hit the big screen just in time for Thanksgiving.

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"Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise," Iger said in a statement. "And we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theaters this November."

The Rock' sings Moana song to 3-year-old fan with cancer
"I’m a big fan of Maui, too, and I’m a big fan of yours," Johnson told the young fan.

RELATED: Disney+ to feature 3D movies for users with Apple Vision Pro

"Moana 2" will bring back Moana and Maui, as well as a new crew of "unlikely seafarers," who go on a new voyage.

"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," a synopsis reads.

Disney also shared a teaser trailer with the announcement.

The new film will officially open in U.S. theaters on Nov. 27, 2024, and is being directed by Dave Derrick Jr., the company said.

While Lin-Manuel Miranda penned songs for the original, music for the sequel is being created by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina, Disney said.

RELATED: Backed by Elon Musk, Gina Carano sues Disney over ‘Mandalorian’ firing

Meanwhile, a separate live-action "Moana" film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson remains in the works for a summer 2025 release.

This story was reported from Cincinnati.
Moana 2 has already hit a massive Disney milestone and that bodes well for the rest of the company’s 2024. This week, fans were treated to the trailer for Moana 2 and it promptly became the most-watched animated trailer in the company’s history. 178 million views rushed ashore in just 24 hours, dethroning the anticipated Inside Out 2. With both of the these projects on the horizon, Disney can breathe a sigh of relief about their theatrical prospects heading into the rest of 2024. As the summer theatrical landscape is still looking for the first full-stop blockbuster, their studios might be able to put out one project each season that stands above the rest.

Later this fall, Moana 2 will hit theaters and there’s good reason to believe it will be one of the biggest movies of the year. How can you tell when tickets aren’t even on sale yet? Well, take one look at the streaming ratings numbers from 2023 and it all begins to snap into frame. Moana was the most streamed movie of last year. That’s absolutely wild for an animated film. But, not completely out of the realm of possibility. Every parent reading this right now has probably heard one of the Disney movie’s numerous songs. (You should probably prepare your eardrums now, some new ones are on the way to nestle into your subconscious.)

Videos by ComicBook.com

Despite beginning life as a Disney+ series, the sequel has become a force of its own with people getting excited about seeing something that reminds them of a previous era of cinematic experiences. Also, maybe when they were younger, or their parents were younger too. It stands to reason this will be a big family event just like Frozen 2 was all the way back in 2019. At this point, Disney would be breaking down the doors for an opening like that. Very few projects have enjoyed the halcyon days of 2019 at the cinema. It takes “events” and Moana 2 could end up fitting the bill.

Disney’s Summer Already Looking Pretty Good
kingdom-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-ending-explained.jpg
Planet of the Apes still going.
Disney managed to start the summertime off with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. While some may have questioned revisiting the primate action/drama franchise, that choice has clearly paid off. Just yesterday, Kindgdom of the Planet of the Apes passed $300 million worldwide. In week 3, the movie continues to roll on as a new apes trilogy could be in the works if it climbs even higher.

One look around the multiplex shows Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as the biggest non-family movie winner of this young summer. All around Wes Ball’s latest offering are question marks littered around. The Fall Guy‘s opening has sparked a ton of hang-wringing around the industry. Universal felt like they were going to kick the door in on the warmer months and that clearly hasn’t transpired. Over at Warner Bros., Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was lauded by critics but audiences were hesitant to follow in the same numbers for some reason.

So, things just haven’t flamed on for the summer in the way that a lot of studios would have hoped. Maybe it’s the advent of streaming? (More like a constant deluge of media sources touting a downturn that really never transpired and lingering worries about prices that actually are not quite as bad across the board as you would believe from popular Internet videos.) All of this clear the deck for the groundswell that will clear the way for Moana 2.

Moana 2 Bats Clean-Up After Deadpool
wolverine-deadpool3.png
Jackman and Reynolds are back.
Summer isn’t over yet, but it’s gonna get late early if one of these movies cannot get a good enough head start on Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have crafted a juggernaut in waiting that is poised to rule over the multiplex in July. Conversation has swirled around the old MCU for a couple of years now. Even as the output has remained near the top of the ladder in the post-2020 media environment. (Not topping it in the same way though necessarily.)

Deadpool & Wolverine stands to buck that trend in a massive way. Not only is it a Ryan Reynolds sequel to a beloved franchise, it’s also a reintroduction to Jackman’s surly Wolverine and the X-Men as a whole. For almost a year, the fanbase has provided its own marketing campaign for the movie. As they clamored for more connection between Marvel entries, what they really wanted was the X-Men to make them feel like kids again. And, Deadpool & Wolverine is going to do that.

If Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine hit, there’s a very real chance that 3 Disney movies could occupy a majority of the top spots on the box office ladder by the year’s end. That would be a wild turnaround after constant raking over the coals by the press and commenters online. Moana 2 looks like an inescapable wave and at the rate this is going, that’s probably a good thing for theaters all over.

Do you think Moana 2 is going to be massive? Catch all of our pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media
Disney dropped some almighty news on Wednesday, revealing that Moana 2, a sequel to the 2016 animated classic, is officially set for November 2024.

The original Moana, first released eight years ago and starring Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho has become a staple of family viewing ever since.

After plans for a Moana TV series were shelved, a teaser trailer for Moana 2 was dropped unexpectedly along with a confirmed release date of November 27.

The animated Disney original grossed over $682million at the global box office (£685m when adjusted for inflation) and was one of the biggest films of 2016.

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With the Moana sequel now confirmed, fans will be eager to find out whether Dwayne Johnson, Auli’i Carvalho, and the likes of Jemaine Clement and Nicole Scherzinger will return to the cast list.

So let’s go through what we already know about Moana 2.

What is the plot of Moana 2?
Moana 2
Sequel film Moana 2 has been announced for November 2024 (Picture: Disney/AP)
Moana 2 was originally planned to be a TV series, and looking into the history of that show’s production might give us clues about what to expect in November.

Disney originally announced in December 2020 that Moana would get its own spin-off show, alongside Zootopia and The Princess and the Frog.

On IMDb, a rough outline for the show explained that ‘Moana and her friends continue to explore the South Pacific in this musical animated series.’

In a new statement, Walt Disney CEO Bog Iger gave more details about the film’s plot: ‘After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania.’

He continued: ‘[Moana enters] dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.’

When does Moana 2 come out?
Moana 2’s release date has officially been stated as November 27, 2024. This means the Moana sequel will be released on Thanksgiving Day weekend.

Moana (2016) movie publicity imagecredit: Disney
The original Moana has become a Disney family classic (Picture: Disney)
The first film was also released on Thanksgiving Day weekend in 2016 – eventually being released on December 2 in the UK, in the run-up to Christmas.

It topped the US box office for three weeks and reached as high as number two in the UK, only missing out on top spot because of the first Fantastic Beasts film.

As for when Moana 2 is likely to be released on Disney Plus, the latest Disney animated original film, Wish, was made available to stream on January 23, 2024, just two months after it was released in cinemas.

The same thing happened to Elemental, a Disney-Pixar joint release, which hit cinemas in June 2023 and was made available on streaming in August 2023.

Based on these projections it seems Moana 2 will be available on Disney Plus in either January or February 2025, depending on its box office performance.

If it performs as well as the original Moana, it could be spring 2025 before we’re able to journey through the South Pacific in our own living rooms.

Is there a full Moana 2 trailer?
While no official Moana 2 trailer has been released yet, an official 15-second teaser was dropped to accompany the announcement, revealing that its release date would be November 2024.

Moana in the teaser trailer for Moana 2
Moana appears in the teaser trailer alone (Picture: Disney)
In the trailer, Moana can be seen walking onto a desert island beach and picking up a large shell, before blowing into it to call out to other people in the area.

And that really is all we see. We don’t get a proper look at Moana’s face and there’s no appearance from any other characters.

The teaser might only have given us a brief glimpse of the film but that hasn’t stopped fans from getting excited, with X user Austin saying: ‘First Disney Princess sequel since Frozen II five years ago, and first POC Disney princess sequel since Mulan II, two decades ago!’

However, user Scrumble Eggs joked: ‘Back in my day this would be straight to VHS and have the worst Dwayne Johnson soundalike you’ve ever heard in your life.’

Who is in the Moana 2 cast?
Dwayne Johnson and Auli'i Carvalho
Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Carvalho are back! (Picture: Getty)
For Moana 2, Auli’i Carvalho is set to return as Moana. The American actress, 23, was last seen starring as Janis in the remake of Mean Girls, released in cinemas in January 2024.

Aside from Moana, fans will be hoping for Dwayne Johnson’s return as demi-god Maui, and it seems their wishes will come true, with The Rock expected to come back for the sequel.

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Beyond the main two characters, it seems Alan Tudyk will reprise his role of Heihei, Moana’s clumsy and calamitous pet bird from the original, while pet pig Pua will also be appearing.

Moana 2 is also expected to introduce some new characters, known only as the ‘new seafarers’, but nobody has been announced to play them so far.

One person who won’t be returning is Lin Manuel Miranda, who wrote the soundtrack for Moana, including songs How Far I’ll Go and You’re Welcome.

In his place, Unofficial Bridgerton Musical composer Abigail Barlow and pianist Emily Bear are attached to write the songs for Moana 2.
What can Disney say to cinema owners except “you’re welcome“? After all, the studio is revisiting the island of Montunui, where “Moana” takes place, a lot sooner than movie theaters were expecting.

Earlier this year, the studio announced a surprise sequel to the 2016 animated feature for release on Nov. 27. The follow-up was initially commissioned as a television series for Disney+ but it was retooled into a feature film after executives were reportedly impressed by the footage.

Disney shared the first look at the scenes that wowed those Magic Kingdom creatives during its CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas on Thursday. In the music-heavy clip, Moana returns to her home island of Montunui and is greeted with a hero’s welcome. The clip offered a taste of one new song, which appears to be about the wayfinding natives eager to be “back to who we’re meant to be.” Although the sequel will feature entirely fresh melodies, the music harkens back to the original film as the islanders hum: “The village believes in her, the village believes…”

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Lin-Manuel Miranda, who penned “How Far I’ll Go,” “You’re Welcome” and other earworms from “Moana,” won’t be back either. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the duo behind “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical,” are writing new songs with Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, who worked on the first film.

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There must be plenty of musical numbers in “Moana 2” because at one point in Thursday’s first look, a character asks: “Do we have to sing?” Everyone promptly responds: “Yes, we have to sing.”

Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson are reprising their voice roles in the animated “Moana 2.” First-time director Dave Derrick Jr., whose animation credits include “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Encanto,” is taking over filmmaking duties from Disney veterans John Musker and Ron Clements.

Johnson surprised at CinemaCon to perform a Polynesian dance and introduce the “Moana 2” footage. “It’s so much deeper of a movie to me, and it’s so much deeper of a movie to Disney as well,” he said. “We are so excited to welcome back audiences all over the world to a new adventure.”

The 2016 film became a success for Disney, grossing more than $680 million at the global box office. It’s now resonating with new generations after exploding in popularity last year on Disney+. The musical parable was the most-streamed movie of 2023 in the U.S. with 11.6 billion minutes watched, according to Nielson. The studio is working on a separate, live-action “Moana,” which was originally set to debut in 2025 but was recently moved to 2026.

Disney showcased “Moana 2” as part of its hours-long presentation to theater owners at CinemaCon. The studio also offered extensive looks at Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Mufasa: The Lion King.”

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Get ready to set sail, because the first teaser trailer for "Moana 2" is here.

The clip, which shows Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) taking to the seas once more, debuted online Wednesday.

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At one point, Moana explains more about the goal of the new adventure, saying: "This is a call from the ancestors to sail to new skies and reconnect our people across the entire ocean."

Maui makes a grand entrance at the end, picking up the accident-prone rooster Heihei and proclaiming "boat snack" before snatching up the adorable pot-belly pet pig Pua and exclaiming "boat snack upgrade."

"Bacon and eggs?!" he yells. "Why didn't you bring the pig last time?"

A press release described the highly-anticipated sequel as following Moana "on an expansive journey in search of people beyond the shores of Motunui."

"Joined by Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-last waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced," the tease continued.

"Moana 2" opens in theaters Nov. 27.

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Releasing just a couple of days ago, the Moana 2 teaser trailer has already set a record for becoming the most watched trailer in the history of Disney Animations and Pixar. Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho are both slated to return and reprise their roles for th sequel that is set to arrive this Thanksgiving.

The Hollywood Reporter noted that the trailer has been viewed by over 178 million people in its first 24 hours of release, making it the most popular trailer in the history of the studios. It breaks the previous record set by Inside Out which hit 157 million views and Frozen with 116 million. The animated feature is directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller. In the trailer, Moana says, “This is a call from the ancestors to sail to new skies and reconnect our people across the entire ocean,” as she embarks on a new adventure.

The project was initially supposed to be a TV series but it was then reworked into becoming the upcoming theatrical sequel. Disney is also set to release a Moana live-action remake which was announced by Johnson last spring. Johnson is also said to reprise his role of Maui for the live-action, scheduled to release on July 2026.

Moana 2 will hit theaters later this year on November 27. ICYMI, watch the teaser above.

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Dwayne Johnson — the voice of Maui, the tattooed demigod with the big personality in Disney Animation‘s “Moana” films — took the stage to a standing ovation at Disney’s D23 to introduce “Moana and Maui’s most exciting adventure yet” and the new “Moana 2” trailer as part of the legendary animation studio’s lineup.

Set three years after the events in the 2016 Oscar-nominated original movie, “Moana 2” finds Moana and her crew in search of the lost island of Motufetu, which once connected the ocean, now hidden by a jealous God of Storms.

Johnson emphasized the idea of “believing that there is more, and having the guts to go for more … I know what it means for me, being a man of Polynesian culture, I’m half Black and half Samoan, and I know what this means for Auli’I (Cravalho, the voice of Moana) too.”

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The trailer sees Moana stepping into her big sister role, guiding her 3-year-old sister Simea. Earlier in the presentation, Cravalho said Simea is Moana’s “whole world.”

As leader of the land and sea, she searches nearby islands for evidence of other people and faces a new, unknown enemy shrouded in purple light and surrounded by bats in the trailer. “You will be destroyed, and your way finder too,” the villain tells Moana and Maui.

The Kakamora coconut tribe also makes an appearance in the trailer, shooting blow darts at Moana.

The “Moana 2” presentation began with Cravalho singing “We’re Back,” a new original song for “Moana 2,” which opens Nov. 27, while joined on stage by dancers and drummers from Nonosina Polynesia under the direction of Tiana Liufau, who contributed animation reference choreography to “Moana” and the new film. Grammy-winning songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, as well as Pacific legend Opeatia Foa‘i and composer Mark Mancina, who both are returning, are the songwriting team on the film.

In this film, directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller (who also shares writing credit alongside Jared Bush) take the reins from “Moana” helmers John Musker and Ron Clements.

Rounding out the voice cast are Temuera Morrison as Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as his Sina, Rose Matafeo as Loto, David Fane as Kele, Hualālai Chung as Moni, and Alan Tudyk as Heihei.

“Moana” became a success for Disney, generating more than $680 million at the box office. The animated musical found renewed life on Disney+ with 1 billion hours streamed last year. The film also garnered two Oscar nominations for animated feature and original song for “How Far I’ll Go.”

“Moana 2” is separate from the studio’s live-action remake, which is currently in the works with Dwayne Johnson back as Maui.

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It’s looking like Disney will make a big comeback at the Thanksgiving box office: Their Moana 2 trailer which dropped Wednesday has become the studio’s most watched ever for an animated movie, clocking 178M views in 24 hours.

That traffic sails by previous record holders Inside Out 2 (157MM) and Frozen 2 (116MM).

The figure also comes in above Pixar’s Incredibles 2 (113MM).

Views are solely from online across TikTok, YouTube, X, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. There were very positive reactions for the animation, love of the original film and character fanship. Moana, Maui, and Pua were standout characters with audiences calling out how Moana is one of their favorite Disney characters of all-time. All this is very good considering this was a project originally conceived as a Disney+ series that the studio flipped to the big screen.

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Pic is directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, Moana 2 features music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foaʻi, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina.

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In the sequel, 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. Dwyane Johnson reprises the voice of demigod Maui, while Auli’i Cravalho is back as the voice of the title role.

As a testament to the love for Moana’s story and characters, the original film, which came out in 2016, was the most streamed movie across all platforms in 2023, per Nielsen.

Moana 2 hits theaters on Nov. 27.
Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho are back in action with the first trailer for Disney‘s sequel movie Moana 2.

David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller directed the animated feature that is set to hit theaters Nov. 27. The film centers on Moana (Cravalho) heading out on an unexpected adventure in long-lost waters after receiving a call from her trailblazing ancestors. Johnson reprises his role as demigod Maui.

“This is a call from the ancestors to sail to new skies and reconnect our people across the entire ocean,” Moana says in the trailer as the adventure is teased.

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The project was originally developed as a television series before being reworked as a theatrical sequel. Featuring new songs from Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Moana 2 counts Christina Chen and Yvett Merino as producers.

Disney is also behind a live-action Moana remake from director Thomas Kail. That film is set to star Johnson and has been scheduled for release on July 10, 2026.

The original Moana hit theaters in 2016 and collected more than $687 million worldwide, along with picking up two Oscar nominations.

Johnson took the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas last month to help debut footage from Moana 2. “Playing the character of Maui is one of the most life-changing life experiences for me — and life-changing roles,” Johnson said at the time.

The star also explained why the role was a particularly special one for him. “It’s my culture — you guys can see I wear it on my chest, my body, my tattoo, and also the character of Maui was inspired from my grandfather, the high chief, Peter Maivia,” Johnson added. “It’s so much deeper than a movie to me, and I know it’s deeper for Disney, too.”
Walt Disney announced on Thursday that “Moana 2” has set a new record for having the highest number of views ever for an animated film trailer.

Released on Wednesday, “Moana 2” has now become “Disney’s biggest animated trailer launch in history.”

Raking in a total of 178 million views in 24 hours across all social media platforms, the “Moana 2” trailer breaks the record held by Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” at 157 million.

The “Frozen 2” trailer in 2019 comes in third with 116 million views, closely followed by “Incredibles 2” with 113 million in 2017.

The sequel to the 2016 hit animated movie will open in theaters on November 27.

What We Know About 'Moana 2'
The 105-second trailer is a visual and auditory feast, with its distinct color and sound highlighting the Hawaiian culture.

Familiar characters Moana, Maui, Sina, Chief Tai, Heihei, and Pua appear as we see exciting snippets of their new adventure setting sail across the vast ocean.

“This is a call from the ancestors to sail to new skies and reconnect our people across the entire ocean,” Moana says.

On top of amazing sea creatures, we are also treated to visuals of a new monster and the return of the Kakamora.

The trailer ends on a comedic note, with Maui shapeshifting from a dolphin and an eagle to his familiar human form, catching Heihei and Pua as boat snacks.

“Bacon and eggs? Why didn’t you bring the pig last time?” Maui asks.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho will reprise their roles as the voices of Moana and Maui.

Also joining them are Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Temuera Morrison as Motunui Chief Tai, and Alan Tudyk as Heihei the rooster.

A live-action adaptation of “Moana” set for release on June 27, 2025, is also in the works, with The Rock playing Maui, Cravalho acting as the executive producer, and Zendaya getting the title role.

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