Moana is sailing her way back into theaters.

In a surprise announcement Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that a sequel to the 2016 animated movie Moana (2016) will come later this year, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. According to Variety, Moana 2 (2024), originally intended to be a straight-to-streaming TV series, will hit theaters on November 27.

Iger announced the news on CNBC today ahead of the company’s first-quarter earnings report, revealing that the company ultimately decided a second film would be a better course of action than the initial idea of a Disney+ series. “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,” Iger said.

The sequel will reportedly follow Moana, Maui, and a brand-new crew on “an expansive new voyage,”  according to Disney. Now, Moana must journey into dangerous, long-lost waters to answer an unexpected call from her ancestors. Dave Derrick Jr. is set to make his directorial debut. Previously, Derrick Jr. has worked on numerous Disney animated films, including as Head of Story on 2022’s Strange World. 

Music on the sequel will be conducted by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, along with Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, who also worked on the first film. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Hamilton creator who contributed to the first film’s music, is not expected to return for the sequel

No voice actors have yet been announced for the animated sequel, but Auli’i Cravalho is expected to reprise her titular role. Cravalho, who recently graced the big screen in Mean Girls (2024) as Janis ‘Imi’ike, will not return for the live-action remake of Moana that Disney announced last year. That remake is currently in the works, with Dwayne Johnson returning as the tattooed demigod Maui.

The remake is a separate project from the newly announced sequel. The original Moana brought in over $680 million at the box office and became a modern classic for Disney.

Update Courtesy of Carson Burton

Credit to Walt Disney Studios via IndieWire