When it comes to upcoming Disney movies on the way in 2024, we’re not only getting a chance to catch up with the inner workings of Riley’s mind in Inside Out 2 coming out in a few weeks. The House of Mouse has also made a sequel to another favorite, Moana. As we get ready to experience what’s next for the Disney Princess in Moana 2, we’ve learned how much time has passed between the first movie and the next one.
When Auli’i Cravalho’s Moana sang “How Far I’ll Go” in the 2016 modern classic, the Polynesian princess was 16 years old. In the sequel, which will once again have Cravalho behind the voice, she’ll be 19! We know this via the official synopsis Disney has released about the movie. Check it out:
Moana 2 reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. 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.
While it will have been eight years since the first movie came out when we see Moana 2 in theaters, the creatives behind the movie decided to pick up the story with a much less dramatic time jump. That being said, Moana will be much more grown up than she was in the first movie! Just take a look at how the princess in the Moana 2 first trailer:
The trailer, which debuted on Wednesday, sets up the storyline for Moana 2, with Moana once again leaving her village to venture out into the ocean and answer a mysterious call from her ancestors. Along the way, she’ll team back up with Dwayne Johnson’s Maui, who jokes in the trailer that her animal sidekicks Pua and Heihei are “boat snacks.”
The Moana sequel has been in the works since 2020, but originally it was going to be a series for people with a Disney+ subscription. Early this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the musical sequel had been reworked to become a big screen release for the studio. The animated movie was written and directed by David Derrick Jr., who previously served as the head of story on Strange Worlds and was a story artist on the original film.
Moana 2 will once again have its music composed by Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i, but The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical’s Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear have replaced Lin-Manuel Miranda as the songwriters for the songs. The movie is set to be released on November 27, the same day as Wicked Part 1, perhaps making for another great double feature after last year’s Barbenheimer.