We were surprised earlier this year when it was revealed that the next animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios would be Moana 2, a project originally planned as a Disney+ series that had been rethought as a feature film. Both Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson were confirmed to be returning to their roles as Moana and Maui, and Dwayne Johnson recently wrapped his voice role on the film with some great motivation watching him do it, as his daughter was present for this last round of voice acting.
The Rock dropped some great pictures on Instagram that show him with one of his daughters as she watches him recording dialogue, and also grabs some pictures of him while he’s working. Johnson says that his kids are a great motivator for him, and that’s not hard to see from the way these two look to be very happy together.
One imagines there’s a lot of Dwayne Johnson’s best movies that his daughter hasn’t been allowed to watch yet, so it’s probably pretty special for him to be able to bring her along to check this one out. Several actors have said they have chosen to do family-friendly movies specifically so that their young children could see something they’d done. Maybe now that one daughter has seen The Rock play Maui she can convince her sister. Johnson’s youngest continues to deny the idea that her dad is Maui.
Moana 2 is set to be released in about six months, but voice acting is a job that’s never really done in animated movies. Stories undergo a regular evolution throughout the animation process that requires actors to return to record new lines now and then. This is why Johnson says it’s a wrap on Moana 2 “for now.” He may be asked to return to record again at some point between now and the film’s release if Disney makes changes to the story that require new lines.
Moana is one of the best Disney animated movies as well as the most popular. Despite the fact the movie has been around for years, Moana was the most streamed film on any platform in 2023, showing just how much fans love it. It's not a surprise that in addition to the sequel Moana is in line to get the Disney live-action remake treatment. The Rock will be back for that as well, as he's set to reprise his role as Maui in live-action.
The Moana 2 details we know have revealed a story that is set a few years after the original movie, where Moana will receive a message from her wayfinding ancestors that will require her to go on a new quest, with the help of Maui. We can expect a lot of new information at Disney’s D23 event in August if we don’t see the first trailer before then.
