Disney Announces Moana 2, Will Release In November

A Moana sequel is officially set to arrive in theaters in November. Disney announced during their earnings call on Wednesday that a sequel to the 2016 animated hit will release on November 27th in theaters. The company released the first teaser for the sequel, which you can check out below.

As Variety reports, the film was originally set to be a TV series but morphed into a full animated film after Disney head Bob Iger was impressed by the footage. Iger said in a statement, “Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise. We can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when ‘Moana 2’ comes to theaters this November.”

The 2016 film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, with music from Lin-Manuel Miranda and grossed $682.6 million worldwide against a $150 million budget. Dave Derrick Jr. is directing the sequel, with Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear doing music alongside Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina. Foa’i and Mancina worked on the first film.

The synopsis, which you can see below, says that Moana and Maui will be back. Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson voiced the roles in the original, and Cravalho is expected to return for the sequel. Johnson is set to play Mauii in a live-action adaptation, though there is no confirmation on whether Johnson will return to voice Maui in the animated sequel. Cravalho is an executive producer on the live-action film, which is scheduled to release in 2025.

The synopsis reads:

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical 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.