Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new animated musical "Moana 2" will take audiences on a new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers, the company said. (Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios)
LOS ANGELES - "Moana 2," a sequel to Disney’s 2016 Oscar-nominated film, will be released in theaters in 2024.
The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger announced that the new animated film will hit the big screen just in time for Thanksgiving.
"Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise," Iger said in a statement. "And we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theaters this November."
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"I’m a big fan of Maui, too, and I’m a big fan of yours," Johnson told the young fan.
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"Moana 2" will bring back Moana and Maui, as well as a new crew of "unlikely seafarers," who go on a new voyage.
"After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced," a synopsis reads.
Disney also shared a teaser trailer with the announcement.
The new film will officially open in U.S. theaters on Nov. 27, 2024, and is being directed by Dave Derrick Jr., the company said.
While Lin-Manuel Miranda penned songs for the original, music for the sequel is being created by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina, Disney said.
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Meanwhile, a separate live-action "Moana" film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson remains in the works for a summer 2025 release.
This story was reported from Cincinnati.