Who’s Playing Moana and Maui in the NEW ‘Moana 2’ Movie?

Disney surprised us a few days ago with all their announcements during their Q1 earnings call.

One of the most surprising announcements was that there will be an animated sequel to Disney’s film Moana. But even more surprising was its announced release date — NOVEMBER 2024. Yes, that’s less than 10 months away, and as it turns out, a prominent star from the first film may not be returning.

According to Deadline, it has not yet been confirmed if Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be reprising his role as Maui in Moana 2. Currently, the studio is in talks with Johnson and things are looking good about his return, but Auli’i Cravalho is also still only in talks to come back as Moana. Those talks are also ongoing but aren’t as far ahead as Johnson’s.

So yes, you read that right. Disney announced the sequel of a film without its two main stars contracted yet. And it’s coming out in less than a year…HUH? Where did this idea for a sequel even come from? Well, according to Bob Iger, Disney CEO, the studio loved the concept for the Disney+ series that was in development so much that they decided to turn it into a full-length film. The film is set to hit theaters on November 27th!

But wait a minute — what does this mean for the live-action Moana film that is slated to come out in June 2025? Cravalho has already confirmed she will not be returning as Moana for the live-action film, and according to ET, the live-action film has already found its Moana. So will the new actor voice Moana in the animated sequel, or will that be Cravalho?

Overall, this is VERY strange. Typically films aren’t put into production without a cast attached, not to mention that their release dates certainly aren’t planned for less than a year in the future. In animated films, typically (there are exceptions) the dialogue recording always comes first before the animating. So, this makes us wonder — who was voicing these characters for the TV series originally?

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this strange situation, but in the meantime, don’t forget to check out Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana in EPCOT, as well as meet Moana herself in EPCOT or Animal Kingdom! Stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news.

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