Maura Brunt ‘27
EE Staff Writer
This year, on Thursday, November 27th, the sequel to Disney’s 2016 Moana, Moana 2, came out after long anticipation. Moana 2 was announced in February earlier this year, having previously been planned as a 10 episode Disney+ series. This was more than just a simple change, as the creators developed a new plot and mainly wrote new songs, only keeping in “We’re Back”. Many fans were ecstatic as they got to see the new characters and costumes on the trailers for the first time. Overall, the movie proved to be successful as it earned $225.2 million during its 5 days in the United States alone.
The first movie focused around Moana’s coming of age as she challenged her father and village: proving to them, and herself, that she was able to sail and restore her land that was slowly dying due to the lava monster, Te Kā. During the first movie, Moana, voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho, met characters like Maui, the demigod, voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The first movie was also a huge success, having some memorable songs: “How Far I’ll Go”, “You’re Welcome”, “I am Moana” and “Where You Are”, to name a few.
Moana 2 follows Moana, taking place 3 years after the first movie. Within this time, her village, Motunui, has grown and adapted to more of the sailing and wayfinding traditions that are a part of their history. The plot of Moana 2 involves her trying to find and reconnect with other people throughout her world –a task that appeared to be fruitless until she found pottery, proving her theory and had a sign from her ancestors. She does not go through this journey alone, and instead she brings along a new crew: Kele, an older farmer; Loto, a boat maker; and Moni, who was the historian of the village. Her companions Pua, the pig, and Hei Hei, the rooster also tag along- and Maui, later on, too. She also has a younger sister, Simea, who stays back on the island, and who serves as a motivation for her to keep going and to try her hardest on her journey.
This movie also has a variety of songs and interesting events too. Some of the most notable include Cravalho’s “We’re Back”; “Get Lost” sung by Awhimai Frase, the voice actor for Matangi; Johnson’s “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?”; and “Beyond” sung by Cravalho. These songs were great additions to the franchise’s song list, sophomore Aditi Jabitapuram adding, “My favorite song was “Beyond”, and I liked how they incorporated parts of the songs from the original Moana into Moana 2”.
Overall, the Moana franchise seems to be booming with the addition of this well-liked movie. As for additional movies, while nothing has been confirmed by Disney or the actors, many people believe that Disney would be open to the idea of a third Moana because of this sequel’s achievement. Being the movie with the highest worldwide opening weekend, Moana 2 has shown the company that Moana is still a popular character with people enjoying her stories. Another, confirmed, Moana movie is the Moana live action movie- which is currently planned to release on July 10, 2026. The live action version will still have Dwayne Johnson as Maui. Moana, however, will be played by the seventeen year old Catherine Laga’aia.