The much-anticipated sequel to Disney’s acclaimed animated musical film Moana 2 will premiere in theaters in November.
Disney CEO Bob Iger disclosed during a teleconference with investors on Wednesday that Moana 2 was originally supposed to be a television series.
“We were impressed by what we saw, and we knew it deserved a theatrical release,” he said. The fact that Moana had been streamed on Disney+ for more than 1 billion minutes as of 2023 proved its ongoing appeal.
The story of Moana, a Polynesian film, revolves around a teenage lead heroine who embarks on an aquatic journey with the god Maui to rescue her people. The film was a huge smash, grossing $643 million at the box office worldwide and earning two Academy Award nominations.
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Storyboard artist Dave Derrick Jr., who also contributed to the last film, will helm Moana 2. Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa’i were responsible for the music. The creator of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, worked with Foa’i and Mancina on the original film’s soundtrack.
Moana 2, which is scheduled for release on November 27, is described by Disney as an “expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui, and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers.”
The movie trailer states that “Moana must travel to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors.”
It is strange that a major motion picture announcement would be made so soon before the film’s theatrical debut, especially because a live-action adaptation of Moana is slated for release in 2025. In the live-action film, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson will portray the god Maui, much like in the cartoon version.
Though the role is still vacant, Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original film, has stated that she will not be playing the character again in the live-action film.
Iger revealed during the earnings call that Disney+ had purchased Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour for streaming, and the show will debut on the service on March 15. The Disney+ edition will include five songs that were not included in the theatrical or video-on-demand versions.
In an additional move to create a new “entertainment universe,” Disney intends to spend $1.5 billion on Epic Games, the developer of the wildly popular video game Fortnite. Fortnite and future Epic Games projects will feature characters from Disney’s enormous catalog of intellectual properties, which includes Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and Avatar.
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