Disney Just Revealed Moana Is Getting A Sequel & It Premieres Later This Year

Eight years after we were first introduced world of Moana in 2016, Disney gave us zero warning that an animated sequel was coming out later this year. Really, on Feb. 7, Disney released a quick “first look” teaser to announce the upcoming film and revealed that its release date has been set for November 2024.

“Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise and we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 comes to theaters this November,” Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.

Like the original, Moana 2 will also be a feature-length animated movie, but will take “audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers,” according to Disney. “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 movie’s short synopsis reads.

Moana 2 will premiere in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024. Until then, we can rewatch Disney’s 15-second first look announcement (and, of course, Moana on Disney+). The teaser shows us a brief look at Moana on a small island, standing on the beach as she blows into a conch shell horn. “Yahooooo!” a voice yells as the screen turns black.

While Disney made the Moana 2 announcement a total surprise, a live-action movie with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role of Maui from the original film was announced last April. Auli’l Cravalho confirmed that she won’t be reprising her role as Moana in the live-action version, which is described as a “reimagining” of the 2016 Oscar-nominated film. “When I was cast as Moana at 14 it wonderfully changed my life and started my career. In this live-action retelling I will not be reprising the role,” Cravalho said in a video shared on Instagram at the time.

The voice cast for Moana 2 hasn’t been announced yet, so it’s still too soon to tell if Johnson, Cravalho, or any of the other stars from the original will return for the sequel. But one thing is for sure — fans were very shocked by the movie’s announcement.

“The biggest unexpected announcement this year,” one Disney fan commented on Instagram. “WAIT WHEN DID THEY ANNOUNCE A SEQUEL?!” another said, while another summed up everyone’s thoughts when they said, “IM UNWELL IM CRYING.”

Moana 2 premieres in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024.