Yahoo Lifestyle Lin-Manuel Miranda Did Not Return For "Moana 2," Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Did, And Everything Else We Know About The Sequel
It's been nearly eight years since Moana was first released in theaters, but the movie instantly became a Disney classic. In fact, it was the MOST-streamed movie of 2023, clocking 11.6 BILLION minutes viewed.
As a toddler parent, this comes as absolutely ZERO surprise to me.
After a surprise announcement in February, Moana 2 will hit theaters way sooner than you'd think on November 27, 2024 — and here's the first teaser.
#Moana2, only in theaters Nov. 27, 2024 🌊 pic.twitter.com/5XxGJ76i0y
— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) February 7, 2024
For the truly movie-obsessed, you'll notice that this is the same release date as Wicked, which makes for a delightful day at the movie theater IMO. It's like Barbenheimer for the theater kids.
Here's everything we know about the highly-anticipated sequel so far:
1.This is the first-ever image released from the movie, and it gives us a look at Moana and Maui (and if you look closely, Pua and Hei Hei among a few others) setting off on their adventure under a sky full of stars. The film is set three years after the events of the original movie.
2.Moana herself, Auli'i Cravalho, is returning to voice the iconic character in the sequel. She shared the news with an exciting video with the caption, "The feeling when you're officially returning to Motunui."
Notably, Auli'i will not be playing Moana in the upcoming live-action adaptation, which is separate from Moana 2 and slated for release in 2025. "It feels really important to me to pass the baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent, and I say that with my whole chest...," she told The Wrap. “I am one of the few Pacific Islanders. And our stories are so important to be told.”
3. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will also reprise his role as Maui, reflecting on how the role was inspired by his late grandfather.
Bringing MAUI🪝 back to life for MOANA 2!So much fun becoming MAUI again - a character that changed my life in many ways - including the character of MAUI being inspired by my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.The Polynesian cultural significance of the role and our… pic.twitter.com/JpWjxySyWZ
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 27, 2024
"So much fun becoming MAUI again - a character that changed my life in many ways - including the character of MAUI being inspired by my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "The Polynesian cultural significance of the role and our story has touched families around the world and has easily become one of my truest honors to bring to life and share. New characters, new journeys, new music. Excited for you and your families around the world to join us on this journey. You will feel the mana."
4.Johnson also recently posted that he just wrapped his work as Maui on the film — and shared some of the sweetest pics with his daughter in the studio with him and called her "the greatest motivation."
5.Lin-Manuel Miranda did not return to write the music for Moana 2. Instead, the creative team turned to musicians Barlow & Bear who (somewhat controversially) penned the popular Bridgerton fan musical.
According to Emily Bear (the Bear to Abigail Barlow's Barlow) the two are the youngest people to ever write music for a Disney movie. They worked alongside Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina from the first film.
6.Development on the project started in 2020, when it was originally conceived as a TV series for Disney+. By the time of the Feb. 2024 surprise announcement this clearly changed and the rest is history.
7.Finally, plot details are fairly under wraps but here's what we've got so far according to the official logline from Disney. "After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys alongside Maui and a new crew to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced."
Sounds exciting! We'll be sure to keep you updated as we continue to hear more about the project.
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