Chee hoo! Moana, Maui, Heihei, Pua the pig, and the dart-wielding Kakamora are back, and that's just for starters in Disney Animation's Moana 2. Today, we have a new trailer and poster for the animated musical which started life as a Disney+ TV series.
Despite its small screen origins - Disney CEO Bob Iger decided the show would work better as a feature - the visuals are gorgeous and this looks like a suitably epic adventure. While box office revenue was another factor in its evolution, we're definitely excited to check this one out.
The sequel reunites Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) 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.
The voice cast also features returning stars Rachel House (Gramma Tala), Temuera Morrison (Chief Tui) and Nicole Scherzinger (Sina), as well as Hualālai Chung, David Fane and Rose Matafeo as Moana's new crew members Moni, Kele and Loto, respectively.
Awhimai Fraser voices the mysterious new character Matangi; Gerald Ramsey plays Moana's ancestor, Tautai Vasa; and Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda lends her voice to Moana's adoring and adorable little sister, Simea.
Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, Moana 2 features music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa‘i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina.
Jared Bush and Miller are writing the film, which is executive produced by Jennifer Lee, Bush and Johnson.
A live-action Moana movie is also in the works, with The Rock set to play Maui there as well. Cravalho will not reprise the role but is serving as an executive producer on the project.
"I cannot wait to help find the next actress to portray Moana’s courageous spirit, undeniable wit and emotional strength," she said last year. "I’m truly honored to pass this baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent, to honor our incredible Pacific peoples cultures and communities that help inspire her story. And I look forward to all the beautiful Pacific representations to come."
Moana 2 arrives in theaters on November 27. Check out the new trailer and poster below.