Disney’s Moana came out in 2016 and was a pretty successful installment in Disney’s roster of animated movies. The film was actually so big that the titular heroine, Moana, was added to the lineup of Disney Princesses as the 12th member of the group. Now, seeing how Disney usually builds on the success of its titles, we shall see whether we can expect a sequel to Moana anytime soon.
A cinematic sequel to Moana is currently not in development, but Disney is working on an animated series that will air on Disney+ sometime in 2023 and will serve as a sequel to Moana the movie. No information about Moana 2 has been revealed as of yet.
Seeing how a movie is not in the works, we are going to focus our attention on the planned TV series and reveal everything we know so far about its release, its plot, and its cast.
Will Moana get a sequel?
Moana was a big hit for Disney when it was released back in 2016. It earned around $645 million on the box office from a $150–175 million production budget and thus earned Disney a solid profit. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards and received several other awards. One of the bigger gains Disney had from Moana was the fact that it portrayed yet another culture on screen, thereby reaffirming its diversity policy.
Now, Moana was well received by both fans and critics, especially children, so it is only natural that you’d ask yourselves whether the movie is getting a sequel or not. Disney has a policy of building on the success of its movies (just look at Frozen, for example), so a sequel to Moana would be a natural thing. So, will we see one?
Both yes and no. If you’re expecting to see a direct cinematic sequel, Moana 2, don’t get your hopes up as even now, several years after the film’s premiere, Disney hasn’t confirmed that a sequel is in the works and although the Incredibles demonstrate that it’s never too late, we doubt that we’ll see a Moana 2 anytime soon.
That being said, Disney does plan on returning to the world of Moana in the form of a sequel television series set for a 2023 release on the Disney+ platform. This is also in accordance with Disney’s business politics, as a lot of animated classics (Hercules, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, Timon & Pumbaa, to name a few) have been adapted as television shows.
So, Moana is getting a sequel, but in the form of a television series, rather than a movie.
Moana 2 release date
As stated, Moana is going to get a sequel in the form of a television series, which was officially announced on December 11, 2020, via Disney’s Twitter:
Moana the series was, as you can see, announced alongside three other shows, including Baymax!, focused on the characters from the hit Big Hero 6, and Zootopia+, a continuation of Disney’s successful feature, Zootopia. And while the three other shows are going to hit the platform in 2022, we’ll have to wait until 2023 to see Moana’s new adventures.
Moana 2 trailer
A trailer for the Moana sequel series has not been released yet and since the show is going to hit the platform in 2023, we don’t expect one until 2022. We’re not certain on when, during 2023, Moana is going to be released, so a trailer might come earlier or later during 2022, but we’re quite certain that a teaser, if not a full-on trailer, will appear in 2022.
Moana 2 plot
Moana, when it was released back in 2016, had a very interesting plot. It started with the people of the Polynesian island of Motunui worshipin the goddess Te Fiti, who is said to have given life to the ocean through a jade stone, the heart of Te Fiti and the source of her power.
Maui, the metamorphic demigod of wind and sea, steals the heart in order to give humans the power of creation. Te Fiti disintegrates, and Maui is attacked by another deity in search of the coveted heart: Te Kā, the demon of earth and fire.
In the battle, Maui is propelled into the air, losing its magic hook and heart, which disappear to the bottom of the ocean. A millennium later, the ocean chose Moana, daughter of Tui, chief of Motunui, to restore the heart to Te Fiti.
However, Tui arrives and takes Moana, who loses her heart. Tui and Sina, Moana’s mother, try to keep her as far away from the ocean as possible in order to prepare her to become the leader of the island. Years later, a disaster struck the island: coconuts rotted and fish ran out.
Moana suggests that fishermen should go for fish beyond the reef, to find out what is causing all this, but Tui formally forbids it. Moana tries to cross the reef but is caught by the current and crashes on the beaches of Motunui.
Tala, Moana’s grandmother, reveals to Moana a secret cave that hides many boats, and explains to her that the inhabitants of the island were once great travelers, but who ceased their activities after the flight of the heart of Te Fiti, because the ocean was no longer safe. Tala then explains to her that it is Te Kā’s detrimental power that is poisoning the island, and that she can only be stopped if Moana finds Maui and the latter restores Te Fiti’s heart, which she gives to her granddaughter.
Shortly afterwards, Tala falls ill and, on her deathbed, tells Moana that she must begin her journey. That same night, Moana sets sail on a rocking canoe found in the Secret Cave. She catches herself in a typhoon and sinks on an island where she finds Maui. She asks Maui to return the heart to Te Fiti, but he refuses.
They are attacked by Kakamora – pirates with coconut armor – who search for the heart, but Moana and Maui escape them. Moana discovers that Maui is no longer a hero, and offers to redeem herself by bringing her heart back. Maui then first needs to find his magic hook, which is in Lalotai, the Monster Kingdom, in the possession of Tamatoa, a huge coconut crab.
They then go to Lalotai and find the hook. Moana tries to distract Tamatoa, but Maui discovers that he can no longer control his metamorphosis power and loses his confidence, and is then easily controlled by Tamatoa, but thanks to Moana , they manage to escape with the hook.
Maui confesses to her that he got his first tattoo when his parents rejected him. After being reassured by Moana, Maui teaches her the art of sailing and regains control of her powers. The two heroes arrive on the island of Te Fiti, but are attacked by Te Kā.
However, Moana refuses to turn around, and Maui’s hook is severely damaged. Thinking that if he returns to fight Te Kā, he will lose his hook, and consequently his powers, he abandons Moana. The latter is discouraged and asks the ocean to find someone else to restore the heart by returning the heart to the ocean.
Tala’s spirit appears in the form of a manta ray, inspiring Moana to follow her destiny. She then takes heart and returns to Te Kā with courage. Maui returns and offers time to Moana to reach Te Fiti by attacking Te Kā, which destroys his hook. Moana discovers that Te Fiti is not on the island and then realizes that Te Kā is actually Te Fiti without her heart.
Moana then asks the ocean to create a path, which allows her to give heart to Te Kā, who becomes Te Fiti again. She then cleanses the ocean and the islands of the plague. Maui apologizes to Te Fiti, who recreates a hook for her and gives Moana a new boat before she falls fast asleep and becomes a mountain.
Moana says goodbye to Maui and returns to Motunui where she finds her parents. She accepts her role as head of the island and restores navigation on the island, thus becoming a people of explorers again.
As you can see, the world created by the first movie is quite large and there is space for development in almost every direction. Now, while we have absolutely no clue as to Moana’s plot, we are certain that the writers will come up with a great way to continue the adventures of Moana and Maui.
Moana 2 cast
Now, this is a tricky question, as we don’t have any precise information, and Disney’s shows are known for using replacement actors, rather than the same ones from the movies. This has been a practice in television for years, but things are changing in recent years, so we might actually see the stars of the movie return for the television show; at least some of them, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
The movie Moana starred Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana, Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Rachel House as Tala, Temuera Morrison as Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, and Alan Tudyk as Heihei, Moana’s pet rooster.