Moana 2: Disney’s sequel to the much-acclaimed animated flick, Moana (2016) is creating a lot of excitement among fans of the first film. Moana 2 has also cast a spell of interest among some of the well-known directors like David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller. This movie promises further adventures of the feisty Polynesian navigator Moana. It will discuss various things about the film, such as the location and date of theatrical release, cast and crew, production design, visual effects, budget insights, music and songs, and OTT release details among all things.
- Film Location
The wonderful Moana inherited from his ancestors the first beauty of the Pacific Islands with the rich landscape, turbulent seas, and fiery volcanoes. The new-age Moana 2 tears the same page to sequence, purely from the Polynesian islands, adding accents to geography and culture that expand the world.
Primary Setting: Polynesian-Inspired Islands
They include tropical island sights of bright blue waters, white beaches, and bright green jungles. On the other hand, the filmmakers consulted cultural specialists from across the Pacific Islands as a means of ensuring that such presentation of Moana’s world continue to be true and respectful towards the Polynesian culture. Not only will the setting show Moana’s home island Motunui, but there will also be some new fictional islands designed to fill out and offer new challenges for Moana and her friends.
| Location | Details |
| Primary Setting | Polynesian-inspired islands |
| Animation Studios | Walt Disney Animation Studios, Burbank, California |
| Additional Sets | Virtual locations based on tropical islands |
- Theater Release Date
The highly awaited sequel is expected to make its way into theaters towards the end of 2025. This is likely to be quite a spectacle for animation lovers all over the world because the first film did very well commercially and critically. It will be expected of Disney to keep the same global outreach when releasing the film, so that audiences from all sorts of continents can enjoy the magic of Moana 2.
| Region | Release Date |
| United States | November 23, 2025 |
| United Kingdom | November 27, 2025 |
- Cast and Crew
As expected, the star cast of Moana 2 encompasses those of iconic characters that made the former one so successful. This includes Moana voiced by Auli’i Cravalho as well as Maui voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, not to forget several familiar voices including Rachel House as Gramma Tala, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, and Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui. Now there’s also going to have new characters with exciting voices, making Moana’s universe just bigger.
Key Cast
| Role | Name | Character |
| Moana (voice) | Auli’i Cravalho | Moana |
| Maui (voice) | Dwayne Johnson | Maui |
| Heihei (voice) | Alan Tudyk | Heihei |
| Chief Tui (voice) | Temuera Morrison | Chief Tui |
| Sina (voice) | Nicole Scherzinger | Sina |
| Gramma Tala (voice) | Rachel House | Gramma Tala |
| Loto (voice) | Rose Matafeo | Loto |
| Tautai Vasa (voice) | Gerald Faitala Ramsey | Tautai Vasa |
Key Crew
| Role | Name |
| Executive Producer | Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Lee, Jared Bush |
| Producer | Christina Chen, Yvett Merino |
| Music | Mark Mancina |
| Art Direction | Daniel Arriaga |
| Animation Supervisor | Jesus Almela |
| Visual Effects | Aaron C. Adams, Eduardo Aguirre |
- Production Design
The production design of Moana 2 is a build-up of what was established in the first film. The filmmakers have very carefully curated the visual elements, ranging from lush tropical environments to a mystical underwater world. Cultural consultants were consulted in close association with the design team to make sure that the landscapes, villages, and characters portray the beauty and richness of Polynesian culture.
| Production Aspect | Details |
| Production Design | Ian Gooding |
| Art Direction | Daniel Arriaga, Amy Henkel |
| Set Decoration | Erin Durbin |
| Costume Design | Kelsi Riemann |
| Character Art Director | Daniel Arriaga |
- Visual Effects and Animation
Visual effects and animation are at the core of Moana 2. Just as the first film, Disney will deploy cutting-edge technology to create some of the most beautiful animation that can be done only with CGI. The film will combine beautiful traditional techniques of animation with the effect of state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery in order to breathe life into the enchanting world.
Visual Effects Team
| Visual Effects | Details |
| VFX Lead | Aaron C. Adams |
| Digital Compositors | Sung Joon Bae, Amrit Battu |
| Lighting Artist | Sung Joon Bae, Eduardo Aguirre |
| Crowd Artist | Eduardo Aguirre |
The animation team is also on a challenging quest to bring the characters to life in just the same manner of charm and depth as made Moana such an awesome movie. Every character, from Moana to the quirky Heihei, will find themselves brought into life through smooth animation.
| Animator | Details |
| Lead Animator | Theresa Adolph |
| Senior Animator | Jesus Almela |
| FX Animation | Aaron C. Adams |
- Music and Songs
The songs of Moana helped the film achieve great success, with both “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” immediately becoming classics. Moana 2 continues this welcome tradition with composer Mark Mancina, who, alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i, will collaborate to create the sequel’s soundtrack.
Song and Music Details
| Song | Details |
| Music Composer | Mark Mancina |
| Songwriters | Lin-Manuel Miranda (returns) |
| Main Song | “Sailing Beyond” (tentative title) |
On the return of Lin-Manuel Miranda and his talent with Moana and Hamilton, an up-beat yet very catchy soundtrack can again be expected from him. The songs will continue adding-to Polynesian instruments, melodies, and rhythms, while also delving into new musical territories.
- Budget Insights
Disney has always been notorious to spend extravagantly on animation projects. This includes the sequels to blockbuster franchises. Although the most accurate budget detail for Moana 2 was never formally disclosed, industry insiders value it highly given the technological advances, high-quality animation, and extensive voice talent involved. Moana 2 would most probably run on a similar budget as that of Frozen 2, estimated to cost between $150 and $200 million.
| Production Aspect | Estimated Budget |
| Total Budget | $200 million |
| Animation and Visual Effects | $100 million |
| Voice Acting and Cast | $25 million |
- OTT Release Date and Platform
After its theatrical run, Moana 2 is slated to be released digitally on Disney+. Since Disney+ has been the most successful streaming platform, it seems to score the best as the OTT release platform for this title. Increasingly, with direct-to-consumer services being a so-important endpoint for Disney, it is most likely going to release the film to subscribers after a few months after its theatrical release date.
| OTT Release Date | Platform |
| Date | January 2026 |
| Platform | Disney+ |
- Conclusion
It has been promised that Moana 2 will yet again be on a great adventure of an experience with Moana and her friends. With an impressive and award-winning cast, phenomenal animation, and an unforgettable soundtrack, this is something to be produced and celebrated. As Disney parks itself further into storytelling and contemporary animation, Moana 2 will once again paint the picture for audiences everywhere. Fans of the original film and those new to the universe of Moana can look back on their seats for what is sure to be yet another exciting and magical adventure. Catch this movie in theaters in 2025 and soon after on streaming platforms.
For more updates, follow Disney’s official Moana page.