Moana 2 (Disney Animation) (2024)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: Moana 2 (Disney Animation)

Genre: Musical

Director: Dave Derrick Jr.

Cast: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson

Release: 2024-11-27

Plot: “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.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Moana 2 -- animated -- will be released in November.

‘Moana 2’ Is Happening In November, Disney’s Bob Iger Says

On CNBC, CEO Bob Iger announced that there is an animated sequel to 'Moana' coming out in theaters this November.

deadline.com

This is in addition to the live-action remake of the original, which is still dated for June 2025.

 

[Jason_V]

Just saw this news along with the earnings report. I still don't know what to make of it. On the one hand, cool...more Moana. On the other hand, caught me completely off guard.

 

[Jake Lipson]

On the one hand, cool...more Moana. On the other hand, caught me completely off guard.

Disney had already announced that there was going to be a Moana streaming show a few years ago. From the Deadline article, it sounds like they are repurposing it as a theatrical feature instead. Considering how big the original film is for them, that choice makes sense to me as long as the production values are high enough to make that transition. A high-profile sequel like this will certainly make significantly more money at the box office than Strange World and Wish did for the studio over the last couple of years.

This isn't the first time Disney has made a lateral move like this. The Return of Jafar was originally the pilot for the Aladdin TV series before they decided to put it out on VHS instead. Toy Story 2 was originally intended as a direct-to-video sequel before they pivoted it to theatrical.

I also look forward to Moana beating up on Wicked, which shares a release date with it.

 

[Jason_V]

Disney had already announced that there was going to be a Moana streaming show a few years ago. From the Deadline article, it sounds like they are repurposing it as a theatrical feature instead. Considering how big the original film is for them, that choice makes sense to me as long as the production values are high enough to make that transition.

Sure, read that, too. But still, didn't have the TV show becoming the Thanksgiving movie on my bingo card for the year.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Here is the first image, via Disney Animation social media. I've also made this the cover image at the top of the thread.

didn't have the TV show becoming the Thanksgiving movie on my bingo card for the year.

I get that, but it makes financial sense. I always thought it was strange to do a Disney+ series instead of a theatrical sequel. So that is not the weirdest part to me. Doing an animated sequel in November and a live-action version the following June based on the same underlying property is weird. You'd think there would be some distance between the two projects.

From Variety:

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.

and

The sequel will be directed by Dave Derrick Jr., with music from Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, along with Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, who worked on the first film.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's name in conspicuously absent from that music team. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear are the writers of The Unofficial Brigerton Musical.

 

[John Sparks]

Shades of Avatar.

 

[Malcolm R]

Tiger sharks don't glow in the dark.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's name is conspicuously absent from that music team.

Thankfully.

 

[Jake Lipson]

This is a new wrinkle. It seems very strange to me that Disney would make an announcement of this movie without having already locked in Cravalho and Johnson.

I'm going to keep their names in the first post of this thread until we hear confirmation that they are not returning.

Dwayne Johnson In Talks To Reprise Maui For Disney’s Animated ‘Moana 2’; Live-Action Pic Bound To Shift Dates

Deadline has learned that Dwayne Johnson is in talks to return for the animated sequel to Moana due to hit theaters in November.

deadline.com

 

[Malcolm R]

Nine months until release and they still don't have voice cast under contract?

 

[Jake Lipson]

Nine months until release and they still don't have voice cast under contract?

I wonder if this has to do with the decision to move this project from a Disney+ series to a theatrical release. I thought they were coming back for the Disney+ version, but I might have just assumed that. If they did have deals for the series, maybe they need to be renegotiated now that the project is pivoting to a theatrical release with different revenue streams?

Still, you would think that the "t"s would be crossed and the "i"s would be dotted before announcing the film to the public.

Thankfully.

For you, perhaps. But Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs are a significant part of the first film's appeal for many people. He is even in the movie as a singer on "We Know The Way." I really don't know if Disney will be able to achieve the same level of resonance for the sequel's songs by simply plugging in other songwriters. Rightly or wrongly, not having him back gives off the impression that Disney was too cheap to pay him for this.

From THR:

Why Bob Iger Is So High on ‘Moana 2’ and What It Means for the Live-Action Pic

The surprise announcement that the sequel will hit theaters this Thanksgiving likely means that the Dwayne Johnson remake will move out of 2025 to provide some distance between the two movies.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

Deadline says Auli’i Cravalho is returning.

‘Moana 2’: Auli’i Cravalho Is Definitely Returning To Disney Sequel

Auli’i Cravalho Will Reprise Title Role in Disney Sequel 'Moana 2'

deadline.com

 

[Desslar]

For you, perhaps. But Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs are a significant part of the first film's appeal for many people. He is even in the movie as a singer on "We Know The Way." I really don't know if Disney will be able to achieve the same level of resonance for the sequel's songs by simply plugging in other songwriters. Rightly or wrongly, not having him back gives off the impression that Disney was too cheap to pay him for this.

From THR:

Why Bob Iger Is So High on ‘Moana 2’ and What It Means for the Live-Action Pic

The surprise announcement that the sequel will hit theaters this Thanksgiving likely means that the Dwayne Johnson remake will move out of 2025 to provide some distance between the two movies.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Yeah, his songs really helped make the first film. His absence this time doesn't inspire confidence.

 

[Jake Lipson]

His absence this time doesn't inspire confidence.

Iger admitted that this is the streaming series repurposed for theaters. Alan Menken never came back for The Return of Jafar or any of the other direct-to-video sequels to his Disney Renaissance musicals. Disney clearly didn't want to pay his fee for low-budget video projects. I would guess the same is true regarding Miranda on this project.

 

[Edwin-S]

Tiger sharks don't glow in the dark.

Seriously? Neither does the ocean. Also, you can't see above and below the ocean as if someone made a sectional cut. It is called artistic license.

 

[Edwin-S]

Iger admitted that this is the streaming series repurposed for theaters. Alan Menken never came back for The Return of Jafar or any of the other direct-to-video sequels to his Disney Renaissance musicals. Disney clearly didn't want to pay his fee for low-budget video projects. I would guess the same is true regarding Miranda on this project.

Iger is getting desperate if he is repurposing a TV series and having the footage edited into a theatrical release. This idea sounds even worse than the straight-to-video releases Disney was pumping out.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Strange World and Wish were back-to-back flops for Disney Animation. Meanwhile, the original Moana was the single most-streamed movie of 2023 on any streaming platform. They obviously need a hit. They had already ordered the Moana series a while back. It's not hard to figure out why this is happening.

Iger said in the THR article I posted on February 5:

"The original Moana film from 2016 recently crossed 1 billion hours streamed on Disney+, and was the most streamed movie of 2023 on any platform in the U.S. Along with the live-action version of the original film that's currently in development, 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."

Of course, that doesn't automatically preclude it from being good. Toy Story 2 was originally developed as a direct-to-video sequel which eventually pivoted to theaters. We all know how exceptional that movie turned out to be. So, in al fairness, you never know until the movie is out. Hopefully Disney has another good story featuring Moana and Maui. We'll see in November.

 

[Desslar]

Iger admitted that this is the streaming series repurposed for theaters. Alan Menken never came back for The Return of Jafar or any of the other direct-to-video sequels to his Disney Renaissance musicals. Disney clearly didn't want to pay his fee for low-budget video projects. I would guess the same is true regarding Miranda on this project.

True, but Robin Williams did return for the second Aladdin DTV film (and I think they tried to get him for the first one).

 

[Jake Lipson]

Walt Disney Animation Studios social media accounts posted this new film still today.

 

[Desslar]

Looks possibly a little older? Maybe she's the chief now.