Moana 2 | |
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Directed by | David Derrick Jr.[1] |
Screenplay by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Music by |
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Production company | |
Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures[a] |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Moana 2 is an upcoming American animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The sequel to Moana (2016), the film was directed by David Derrick Jr. (in his feature directorial debut), co-directed by Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, from a screenplay written by Derrick and Jared Bush.[2] The film stars Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk, all reprising their roles from the first film, with Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, and Hualālai Chung joining the cast.
Development on Moana 2 began in 2020 as a television series for Disney+ before being reworked into a theatrical sequel by February 2024, with Derrick confirmed as both writer and director. The involvement of Hand, Ledoux Miller, Chen, and Merino was confirmed in May; a month later, Bush was confirmed to be returning as a writer. Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i, the composers and co-songwriters of the first film, returned to score and write the songs, while Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear replace Lin-Manuel Miranda as additional songwriters.
Moana 2 is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 27, 2024.
Premise
[edit]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 has ever faced by facing off against the wicked underworld gods and many other challenging creatures. To complete her mission of reconnecting all of the people and communities of Oceania, she must summon her old demigod friend Maui and a group of new sailors for help.
Cast
[edit]- Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana,[3][4] the curious daughter of village chief Tui and his wife Sina; she is chosen by the ocean to battle with the wicked gods of underworld and saving the world.
- Dwayne Johnson as Maui,[5][6] a strong-willed shapeshifting demigod who accompanies Moana on her journey.
- Temuera Morrison as Tui, Moana's father and chief of Motunui Island.[7]
- Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Moana's mother and Chieftess of Motunui.[7]
- Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as Simea, Moana's little sister.[7]
- Rose Matafeo as Loto, a "brainy but quirky" member of Moana's wayfinding crew.[7]
- David Fane as Kele, a "grumpy farmer" and member of Moana's wayfinding crew.[7]
- Hualālai Chung as Moni, a member of Moana's wayfinding crew and a fan of Maui's.[7]
- Alan Tudyk as Heihei,[8] Moana's pet rooster.
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]In December 2020, during a Disney Investor Day meeting, Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jennifer Lee announced that a musical series titled Moana, based on the 2016 film of the same name, was in development at the studio for Disney+.[9] By August 2021, it was reported that Osnat Shurer would once again serve as producer.[10] In January 2022, it was announced that David Derrick Jr. would serve as the writer and director, after filling the role of storyboard artist of the first film.[11][12][13] The series entered development simultaneously with the live action remake of Moana according to Jared Bush, a writer of the film and screenplay writer of the 2016 animated film.[14]
In February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the series had been reworked into a theatrical sequel titled Moana 2, with Derrick and Shurer remaining attached to the project.[15] By the release of the first trailer in May, Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller were confirmed as co-directors alongside Derrick, while Christina Chen and Yvett Merino were revealed to replace Shurer as the film's producers.[1]
Casting
[edit]Shortly after the announcement that the series was being repurposed into a theatrical feature film, Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson were confirmed to reprise their respective roles as Moana and Maui.[3][4][5][6] Johnson later confirmed that he had been involved with the project since its conception, including its development, stating: "I can't wait for fans to see the film, the technology, the effects, cutting edge. We all really went for it. We thought if we're gonna make a sequel to something so beloved, let's really go for it."[5] Several more cast members were unveiled at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, including Temuera Morrison and Nicole Scherzinger reprising their roles as Moana's parents from the first film. New additions include Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as Moana's new sister, and Rose Matafeo, David Fane, and Hualālai Chung as members of Moana's wayfinding crew.[7]
Animation
[edit]Animation was handled at Walt Disney Animation Studios' Vancouver studio beginning when it was being developed as a series, while pre-production and storyboarding took place at the Burbank studio.[10] It is the first feature film to be made at the Vancouver studio,[10][16] but not the first project released, with Iwájú being released earlier that year. At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it was revealed that veterans Mark Henn and Eric Goldberg would supervise a team of apprentices of hand-drawn animators for Maui's tattoos. Goldberg was a supervising animator for "Mini Maui" for the first film.[7]
Music
[edit]Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi return to compose the film score, while Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear wrote the songs, replacing Lin-Manuel Miranda from the first film.[15][17]
Release
[edit]Moana 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 27, 2024.[15][18]
Marketing
[edit]The first trailer for the film was released on May 29, 2024 after debuting at CinemaCon the month before.[1][19] A sneak peek at the film screened at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2024.[20]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the Walt Disney Pictures banner.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "'Moana 2,: Disney Reveals New Teaser Trailer". The Walt Disney Company. May 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Giraud, Kevin (June 14, 2024). "New Details And Characters From 'Moana 2' Revealed At Annecy". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Chichizola, Corey (February 8, 2024). "Moana 2's Auli'i Cravalho Addresses Surprise Return To Disney Franchise With Hilarious Video". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 27, 2024). "'Moana 2': Auli'i Cravalho Is Definitely Returning To Disney Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c Gawley, Paige (February 8, 2024). "Dwayne Johnson Confirms the Live-Action 'Moana' Movie Has Found Its Star (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Johnson, Dwayne [@TheRock] (February 8, 2024). "MOANA 2 11.27.24 🌴 🌊🪝" (Tweet). Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Reif, Alex (June 14, 2024). "Disney Unveils New Plot and Character Details for "Moana 2" at Annecy Festival Preview". Laughing Place. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Gearan, Hannah (May 21, 2024). "Moana 2 Gets Major Update from Dwayne Johnson". ScreenRant. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Holloway, Daniel (December 10, 2020). "'Moana,' 'Cars,' 'Princess and the Frog' Spinoff Series Set for Disney Plus". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 4, 2021). "Walt Disney Animation Amps Up Production With New Vancouver Studio, First Project Is 'Moana' Musical Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ Sarto, Debbie Diamond (January 21, 2022). "David Derrick Jr. to Direct Disney's 'Moana' Series". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Sternberg, Sabrina (January 22, 2022). "Moana TV Series for Disney+ Finds Its Director in Story Artist David G. Derrick Jr". Collider. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (January 23, 2022). "Disney Animation Announces Disney+'s Moana: The Series Director". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ Bush, Jared [@thejaredbush] (April 3, 2023). "Oh yes. And it's phenomenal" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Stephan, Katcy (February 7, 2024). "Moana 2 Set at Disney With Surprise 2024 Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (August 4, 2021). "Walt Disney Animation Opens New Vancouver Studio for Long-Form Series Production". Variety. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Bregel, Sarah. "The strange journey behind the TikTok duo replacing Lin Manuel Miranda for the Moana sequel", BBC, February 13, 2024
- ^ Youngs, Ian (February 8, 2024). "Moana: Disney's hit animation to get surprise cinema sequel this year". BBC. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Dick, Jeremy (May 28, 2024). "Moana 2 Gets First Poster Ahead of Trailer Release". CBR. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ "Moana 2", Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Retrieved May 8, 2024