How far will Moana go?
Disney’s Moana (2016) remains one of the most beloved animated films in recent memory, and with its massive resurgence in popularity—clocking over 1 billion hours of watch time in 2023—it’s no surprise that the studio decided to double down on the franchise.
Originally planned as Moana: The Series for Disney+, the project was scrapped in favor of a full-fledged theatrical sequel, Moana 2. The shift, announced by Disney CEO Bob Iger, was an “organic” evolution, according to Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee, as the story grew “bigger and more epic” during development. The sequel was directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller.
After dropping during Thanksgiving week and receiving a record opening five-day period, Moana 2 recently hit $1 billion, marking the third time a 2024 release from the House of Mouse has done so (following Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine).
The original film, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, earned over $690 million at the global box office and became an instant Disney classic, with hits like “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” cementing its legacy. Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprised their roles as Moana and Maui in the sequel.
While the songs–written by Grammy Award-winning songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear (The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical)–perhaps aren’t as prolific as its predecessor, which were penned by Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda (along with Opetaia Foaʻi, and Mark Mancina who also returned for the sequel), Moana 2 has remained strong with its audience, giving the franchise another boost to becoming a pop culture phenomenon.
And despite its criticism, the numbers speak for themselves. In fact, the release of Moana 2 not only cemented the franchise as a Disney sure-fire hit but also gave the first movie an additional bump to become the most-streamed movie in the United States across any platform for the second year in a row.
The Walt Disney Company’s Q1 results revealed the staggering news, along with suggesting just how powerful the seafaring hero and her demigod companion are. While discussing the “long-term value from [their] theatrical releases” and how that can be used to “leverage film success,” Disney used Moana as a prime example.
“…the Moana film franchise–with a live-action film currently in development–is approaching $1.7 billion at the global box office,” Disney wrote in its executive summary, “underscoring the strong and enduring connection that audiences have with out stories and characters, and further validating our strategy of investing in popular IP.”
They continued: “The original Moana animated film has crossed one billion hours streamed on Disney+ and was the most-streamed movie in the U.S. on any platform for the second year in a row.” Disney also mentions the addition of the Tale of Moana show aboard the latest Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Treasure.
With that in mind, and with Disney specifically mentioning their strategy to implement popular IP, it seems inevitable that a Moana land or dedicated area will make its way to the theme parks in the future. After all, the Frozen franchise–Disney’s other behemoth–is gaining a second footprint in Disneyland Paris following the successful openings of Frozen-themed areas in Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort.
Additionally, fans only have to look at Walt Disney World Resort’s new lands, with Cars, Encanto, and Indiana Jones incoming, or see the Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort doubling in size to get an idea of just how IP-forward the theme parks are. It was only in 2022 that Jennifer Lee, Chris Beatty, and Josh D’Amaro teased a Moana-themed area coming to Animal Kingdom, but by 2023 that had been replaced with Encanto and Indy.
With all the celebration over how powerful Moana is, could its removal from the Animal Kingdom plans signal an even bigger development for the popular franchise? Maybe, as Disney seemingly moves towards its inevitable fifth theme park gate, Moana will get her own entire land…
The Moana journey is of course not over. Dwayne Johnson will officially return to his role of Maui in the upcoming live-action movie coming next year from director Thomas Kail. Catherine Lagaʻaia replaces Auli’i Cravalho as the titular character.
Would you like to see more Moana at the parks? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
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