‘Moana 2’ Was Almost a Disney+ TV Show

This Thanksgiving, movie theaters are set to be rocked by the arrival of a fan-favorite franchise. Eight years after its initial debut, the sequel to the beloved film Moana is riding into theaters with what is expected to be a box office splash. The first film made almost $700 million globally as it captured the hearts of both critics and audiences. Yet, despite its blockbuster success, its sequel, Moana 2, nearly didn’t make it into theaters.

A daring adventure involving a young Polynesian girl who sets off to save her island, Moana follows the titular hero as she confronts the dastardly demigod who has stolen the jewel known as the heart of the island. As her island faces the rage of the awakened goddess Te Fiti, Moana, along with her pet chicken and the demigod Maui, race to return the jewel and restore peace on her island. The film made $687 million at the box office and received positive reviews from both critics (95%) and audiences (89%). So, it was a surprise when Disney announced the follow-up to the film would be a Disney+ series.

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‘Moana 2’ Was a Disney+ TV Series

Back in December 2020, four years after Moana’s release, Disney announced that a spin-off of the film was being created for Disney’s streaming service Disney+. The still relatively new addition in the battle of the streaming wars, Disney+ could use some of Disney’s recent successes to boost its profile. Moana, the television series, was introduced along with three other upcoming series based on Disney’s animated properties: Baymax! (follow-up of Big Hero Six), Zootopia+ (Zootopia), and Tiana (The Princess and the Frog). It was part of Disney’s push to increase its streaming content and engage fans. But while the other three shows joined the roster of Disney+’s streaming library (Baymax! and Zootopia+ premiered in 2022, while Tiana the television series is set to premiere in 2025), at the last hour the creatives at Disney saw more for the world of Moana.

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In a February 2024 earnings call with investors, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the continuation of the story of Moana would be moving from the streaming service and would be a feature film instead. The film Moana 2 finally hit theaters on Nov. 27. The reason for the change from series to film was that the footage from the series was so impressive that the studio head believed there was more to explore and greenlit a sequel film instead.

In a conversation with Variety, senior research analyst Eric Handler stated that Disney’s motivation for the switch could be the result of no longer spending capital on trying to attract subscribers to the streamer but rather on increasing the company’s overall profitability and revenue.

The ‘Moana’ Franchise Won’t End with the Sequel Film

Whatever the reason for Iger’s change of heart, fans will be pleased as Disney has decided to double down on the future of the Moana franchise. Along with the sequel film, Disney has also committed to producing a live-action version of the original 2016 film. This follows in the vein of Disney’s other long-standing commitment to capitalizing on past successes by recreating their very same wheel (The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, et al.) with live-action versions of their previously creative endeavors. This avenue has proven quite lucrative for the company, so a live-action Moana joining the ranks should come as no surprise.

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According to the movie description from Disney, Moana 2 takes place three years after Moana’s first adventure. After Moana receives a call from her wayfinding ancestors, she goes on an adventure to the far seas of Oceania to break a curse that separates the people of the ocean. Like the first film, Moana 2 is a musical adventure. The soundtrack for the first film reached number two on Billboard’s Top 200, and perhaps its most ear-catching song, “How Far I’ll Go,” was nominated for an Oscar.

Celebrated musician Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborated on the music in the first film, but is absent from the second. This is a disappointing turn; however, he is replaced by the Grammy-winning team of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. The duo worked together on an unofficial companion album to the Netflix series Bridgerton.

Returning to the world of Moana is Auli’I Cravalho as Moana. In addition, Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as Maui. The principal cast remains much the same. Temuera Morrison and Nicole Scherzinger continue in their roles as Moana’s parents, the Chief and Chiefess of the island. Alan Tudyk voices Moana’s pet rooster, and Rachel House voices Moana’s grandmother. Joining the cast of the film are Rose Matafeo and David Fane. Moana 2 is now playing in theaters.