Disney has announced a surprise sequel to the hit animated musical film Moana, which will be released in theaters in November.
During Wednesday’s earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that Moana 2 was originally developed as a television series.
“We were impressed with what we saw and believed it deserved a theatrical release,” he said, adding that Moana will be streamed for more than 1 billion minutes on Disney+ in 2023 alone, and its popularity is growing. He emphasized that it continues.
Set in Polynesia, Moana follows the titular teenage heroine as she journeys across the ocean with the demigod Maui to save her people. The film was a huge success, grossing $643 million worldwide and receiving two Academy Award nominations.
Moana 2 is directed by Dave Derrick Jr., who worked on the original film as a storyboard artist, and has music written by Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Opetaia Foai, and Mark Mancina. Foai and Mancina worked on the songs for the first film with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Moana 2, which opens on November 27, will be “an expansive new voyage between Moana, Maui, and an all-new crew of unlikely sailors,” Disney said.
The movie’s description says: “After receiving an unexpected phone call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must travel to the distant and long-lost and dangerous waters of Oceania for an adventure unlike any she has faced before. No.”
Especially since the live-action remake of “Moana” is scheduled to be released in 2025, it is unusual for a work considered to be a blockbuster to be announced so close to the movie’s release. The live-action film, like the animated original, stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the demigod Maui. The role of Moana in the live-action film has not yet been cast, but original voice actor Auli’i Cravalho has confirmed that Moana will not be playing the role.
During the earnings call, Iger also announced that Disney+ has secured the streaming rights to “Taylor Swift: The Elus Tour,” which will arrive on the platform on March 15th. The Disney+ version includes five of his songs not included in the theatrical or video-on-demand releases.
Disney will also invest $1.5 billion in Epic Games, the studio behind the wildly popular video game Fortnite, as part of a partnership to create a new “world of games and entertainment” featuring characters from Disney’s vast intellectual property. We plan to invest. Franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and Avatar – included in both Fortnite and other Epic Games projects.
