If you’ve been staring at the edge of the water awaiting a Moana sequel, boy do we have news for you. Disney CEO Bob Iger shared a surprise announcement in an interview with CNBC ahead of the company’s quarterly earnings report on February 7. “ 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,” reads the press release.
The new film sees Moana and the demigod Maui sail long-lost waters after receiving a sudden call from her wayfinding ancestors to once again take to the seas, per the release. A first-look video accompanied the announcement, giving us a 15-second peek at Moana on an apparently deserted island. How far will she go this time? The first trailers , confirmed voice cast , new batch of songwriters , and release date , below.
In the sense that Moana is literally dodging lightning, which, as we saw in the teaser trailer, is apparently the ancestors’ preferred method of communication. Big sister Moana promises that she’ll return after her journey, which reunites her with Maui ..
. and the Kakamora. Do you think they just fell out of a coconut tree? They exist in the context of what came before (a.
k.a. their first appearance in the original Moana movie).
How did one find their long-lost cousins before an online database creepily compiled public records for your paid perusal? The ancestors sent a call from beyond, asking you to sail the Pacific in search of them. In the teaser trailer for Moana 2 , we see the titular character receiving a message by way of lightning bolt and mysterious drumming. “This is a call from the ancestors,” she tells the island community, “to sail to new skies and reconnect our people across the entire ocean.
” Once Moana casts off for her second adventure, a hungry Maui magically appears on her vessel and considers eating her pet pig. On February 27, Deadline reported that Auli’i Cravalho will return to voice Moana in the sequel, Moana 2 . Shortly afterward, the actress posted an Instagram video confirming the news.
“The feeling when you’re officially returning to Motunui 🥹🐚🌀,” she captioned the short clip. Now, you might recall that Cravalho previously told fans that she wasn’t planning to reprise her role, and would instead help find her successor as an executive producer. But she was actually talking about the live-action Moana , which is a separate film.
No one said she couldn’t return for the animated sequel! Just like her character , she comes back to the water no matter how hard she tries. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will reprise his role as Maui, Disney confirmed on April 3. A post shared by Auliʻi Cravalho (@auliicravalho) Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical fame replace Lin-Manuel Miranda as songwriters.
While he couldn’t make it back to Oceania this round, Moana story artist David Derrick Jr. returns to direct the film along with songwriters Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina. The film docks on November 27.
If this news isn’t enough to satisfy insatiable Moana fans, quiet up and listen down: that live-action version starring the Rock is still in the works. So, like, More-ana x2. You’re welcome! This post has been updated with additional information.
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