Moana 2: Release Date, Cast And Other Things We Know

Are you ready to return to the ocean? Because the lead of Moana 2 certainly is – it's coming to theaters soon, and this is what we know about it. 

The first Moana movie came out in my first year of college. I distinctly remember seeing it in the movie theater and falling in love with the animation, the music, and everything else beautiful. I loved the film, but I could never have fathomed that a sequel would come and make my life that much better. 

But here we are, nearly eight years later, and Moana 2 is confirmed. But what else are we expecting from this new film? And who is going to star in it? Here is what we know so far. 

What Is The Moana 2 Release Date?

Get ready, Disney fans, because Moana 2 is releasing on November 27, 2024. 

That's right, you read that correctly – this new film is dropping at the end of the year as part of the 2024 movie schedule. This wasn't announced years in advance. This was confirmed in 2024, if you can believe it.

There's a reason why – but we'll get into that briefly. 

Some people are even calling this the new Barbenheimer, but for musical lovers, as Moana 2 releases on the same day as Wicked: Part 1 – I guess I will be at the theater for a long time that day. 

Check Out The Teaser Trailer For Moana 2

Moana 2 | Teaser Trailer - YouTube

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If you’re as excited for this movie as I am, the first teaser trailer for Moana 2 has dropped, giving fans their first look into the world of Moana and her family as they travel across the sea – oh, and look! There’s Maui at the end too! 

The Moana 2 Cast

While we don’t know much about the Moana 2 cast, we don’t know at least two people will be returning from the first film – Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson:

Auli’i Cravalho as Moana

It’s confirmed that Auli’i Cravalho will be back as Moana in Moana 2. When the film was first announced, Cravalho posted about it to her Instagram page, sharing a funny video about her friends finding out about Moana 2 before she got the chance to tell them, confirming her involvement in the sequel:

Since Moana, Cravalho had a starring role in the TV series The Power and in another TV show called Rise. She also appeared in the Mean Girls cast in 2024, where she got to show off her singing prowess. It’s great to see that she’s coming back for this role once again. 

Dwayne Johnson as Maui

It’s also confirmed that Dwayne Johnson will return as Maui. Johnson talked about the upcoming movie on his Twitter account, simply promoting the trailer and saying that the film will be released in 2024. And since then, he’s continuously promoted it, including the Moana 2 poster on Twitter in May 2024:

The actor has even posted on Instagram about making the film as recent as May 2024, where he posted about doing voice lines for the movie: 

Johnson has continued to grow his box office presence and appear in major blockbusters, such as the Jumanji films, Fast X, Jungle Cruise, and more.

Aside from these two, we don’t know who else will be joining the cast of Moana 2, but I’m sure if it’s half as good as the first film, we will have some great stars to add to this soon enough.  

Moana 2 Will Follow Moana On Another Wayfinding Sea Adventure

Moana 2's plot has been kept under wraps for some time, but we do have an idea of the premise. 

From the official logline, we know that Moana 2 will follow Moana on another exciting sea story. When she receives a call from her wayfinding ancestors, she has to sail across the seas of Oceania for a dangerous adventure, one that she's never experienced before. We also found out from the official synopsis that about three years have passed since the first Moana, meaning that she’s nineteen now.  

Moana 2 Was Going To Be A Series But Was Reworked Into A Movie

At this point, I know you're probably wondering how the heck something like Moana 2 was kept under wraps. 

That's because it wasn't – the idea of Moana 2 technically already existed as a TV show before it was reworked into a movie, according to Variety.

The Moana TV show has long been confirmed and in the works for some time, but according to Bob Iger, Disney was impressed with what they saw when the series was modified into a movie, and believed it "deserved a release." 

So, technically, Moana 2 has always been in the works – they just decided to shift gears a little. This is a bit concerning, considering the track record of TV shows being turned into movies for Disney hasn't been the best. Still, I have faith, since the original stars are involved, and it's getting a theatrical release, unlike many other Disney sequels.  

Dave Derrick Jr. Is Co-Directing

Disney confirmed that Dave Derrick Jr. directed Moana 2. Derrick Jr. has worked in the art department on several other Disney films, such as Encanto, Raya and the Last Dragon, and the first Moana, but his directorial debut will be for this sequel. Also confirmed by Disney is that both Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller will co-direct alongside Derrick Jr. 

Lin-Manuel Miranda Is Not Involved In Moana 2 – But Mark Mancina Is

The last thing we know about Moana 2 is that the composer of the songs, Lin-Manuel Miranda, will not be back for the sequel. You might know his name from the original Hamilton cast and as the man behind many famous movie soundtracks now, such as Encanto, In the Heights (which he created for musical theater), and of course, the original Moana. 

It's been confirmed that Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear would write music for the film, two Grammy-winning artists – which isn't a bad thing at all; it's just a shame Miranda won't return for what was arguably his best soundtrack for Disney, so far (in my opinion). 

However, we know that the score composer, Mark Mancina, will return, so you can at least expect the score to offer the same experience. 

Honestly, I'm just so excited for Moana 2, and I know I will be at the theater the moment it comes out. It's time for a Moana rewatch.