Moana 2 is an American animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The second installment in the Moana franchise and a 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. Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House and Alan Tudyk all reprise their roles from the first film, with Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser and Gerald Ramsey joining the cast.
Development on Moana 2 began in 2020 as a television series for Disney+ 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 was released in the United States on November 27, 2024.
Synopsis[]
After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters to search for a hidden island, that could break a curse made up of a fury of storms that has fallen upon Oceania. On an adventure unlike anything she has ever faced before, she will be forced to face off against old and new challenges from creatures led by Matangi, a dreaded underworld goddess. To complete her mission of reconnecting all of the people and communities of Oceania, she must summon her old demigod friend Maui and a group of new sailors as well, to help outmatch their enemies.
Cast[]
- Auli'i Cravalho as the voice of Moana
- Dwayne Johnson as the voice of Maui
- Temuera Morrison as the voice of Tui
- Nicole Scherzinger as the voice of Sina
- Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as the voice of Simea
- Rose Matafeo as the voice of Loto
- David Fane as the voice of Kele
- Hualālai Chung as the voice of Moni
- Rachel House as the voice of Tala
- Awhimai Fraser as the voice of Matangi
- Gerald Ramsey as the voice of Tautai Vasa
- Alan Tudyk as the voice of Heihei
Production[]
Development[]
In December 2020, during a Disney Investor Day meeting, Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jennifer Lee announced that a musical series titled Moana, based on the 2016 film of the same name, was in development at the studio for Disney+. By August 2021, it was reported that Osnat Shurer would once again serve as producer. 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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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." 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.
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. It is the first feature film to be made at the Vancouver studio, but not the first project released, with the miniseris 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.
Marketing[]
The first teaser trailer for the film was released on May 29, 2024 after debuting at CinemaCon the month before. A sneak peek at the film screened at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2024. The film's official trailer was later released during the D23 Expo on August 10.
Release[]
Moana 2 is scheduled for release in theaters on November 27, 2024.
Reception[]
Trivia[]
Images[]
Videos[]
