50 Fun Facts About Moana 2

How many years after the first film is Moana 2 set?

Auliʻi Cravalho called it the first time a Disney princess was allowed to age, recording with her natural adult voice.

What is the name of the lost island Moana must find and raise?

It once connected all the islands of the ocean before the storm god sank it.

Who is Nalo?

He wanted power over mortals; Tofiga Fepulea'i voices him in the mid-credits scene.

What title is Moana given at the start of the film, the first in a thousand years?

She had already become chieftess after the first film; the tautai title comes after her exploring voyages.

Which ancestor appears to Moana in a vision to explain what happened to the islands?

He warns that Motunui's people will die out if Motufetu is not raised; Gerald Ramsey voices him.

Who are the three villagers who join Moana's wayfinding crew?

A craftswoman, a historian and a grumpy old farmer, plus Pua and Heihei.

What does the crew follow across the ocean to reach the sunken island?

The comet is the call from the ancestors that sets the voyage in motion.

Which returning coconut-clad pirates capture Moana's crew?

This time they are sympathetic: Nalo's curse cut them off from their home island too, and one named Kotu helps the crew.

Where is Matangi's lair?

The crew paralyses the clam with the Kakamora's help to reach the captive Maui inside.

Who is Matangi?

She turns out to be unhappy serving Nalo and helps Moana escape; Awhimai Fraser voices her.

What is the only way to break Nalo's curse, according to the plan?

Maui is meant to lift the island high enough for Moana to touch it, until Nalo strips his powers with a lightning bolt.

What happens to Moana when she dives down and touches the sunken island?

Maui's chant summons the ancestors, including Gramma Tala, who bring her back as a demigoddess with a wayfinder's tattoo.

What does Moana become after the ancestors revive her?

Maui regains his own powers at the same moment and finally raises the island.

Which character from the first film joins Nalo's cause in the mid-credits scene?

Jemaine Clement returns to voice the shiny coconut crab; Nalo is about to punish Matangi when he arrives.

What is the name of Moana's little sister, introduced in the sequel?

Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda voices her.

Who returns as the spirit of Gramma Tala, in manta ray form?

She also reprised the role in the Māori-language dub.

What changed about Temuera Morrison's performance as Chief Tui in the sequel?

In the first film Christopher Jackson of Hamilton provided Tui's singing voice.

Which Pussycat Dolls singer voices Moana's mother, Sina?

She reprises the role from the 2016 film.

Which New Zealand comedian voices Loto, the quirky craftswoman?

David Fane voices Kele and Hualālai Chung voices Moni, a self-confessed Maui fanboy.

Which members of Dwayne Johnson's family have voice roles in the film?

Jasmine and Tiana voice members of the 'MOANA-BEs' fan club, and Ata Maivia Johnson voices a villager.

Moana 2 was originally developed as what?

Alan Bergman told the team in January 2024 to pivot to a feature; nearly all Disney animation happens in the final year, so it was possible.

Which Disney executive announced in February 2024 that the series had become a theatrical sequel?

He said executives were 'impressed with what we saw and knew it deserved a theatrical release'.

Which three people are credited as directors of Moana 2?

Derrick had been a storyboard artist on the first film and was writer-director of the planned series.

Moana 2 was the first feature film made at which Disney Animation location?

The Animation Guild later estimated the outsourcing cost California as many as 817 jobs.

Which two veteran animators supervised the hand-drawn animation of Maui's tattoos?

Goldberg had animated 'Mini Maui' on the first film; here they led a team of apprentices.

Who wrote the new songs, replacing Lin-Manuel Miranda?

They are the youngest and first all-female songwriting duo on a Disney film, hired after The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.

Why did Lin-Manuel Miranda not return to write the songs?

He still helped, sending Barlow 'a stack of books' on writing lyrics for musical films.

What is the name of Moana's big new song, billed as a spiritual sequel to 'How Far I'll Go'?

It was released as the first single on November 7, 2024, and nominated for a Society of Composers & Lyricists Award.

What is Maui's new song called?

Johnson billed it as a female-empowerment song for Moana, following the tune of 'You're Welcome'.

Which song did Cravalho perform live at the 2024 D23 Expo?

She sang it with Polynesian dancers as Johnson announced a live-action Monster Jam film on the same stage.

Under what title is the film released in many European countries, because of a trademark clash?

The heroine's name is also changed; the first film had the same treatment.

Into which four Polynesian languages was Moana 2 dubbed?

The Samoan dub was a first for the franchise, and the Māori version premiered in New Zealand alongside the English one.

Where did Moana 2 hold its world premiere?

The Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute hosted it on November 21, 2024, six days before release.

How many views did the first trailer earn in 24 hours, a record for a Disney animated film?

It beat records held by Frozen 2 and Inside Out 2, and was attached to Inside Out 2 in cinemas.

Approximately how much did Moana 2 gross worldwide?

That outgrossed the original and made it the third-biggest film of 2024, crossing $1 billion on January 19, 2025.

Whose Thanksgiving weekend record did Moana 2's $139.8M debut break?

It was also the biggest opening ever for a Walt Disney Animation film, and its $28 million Thanksgiving Day nearly doubled Frozen II's.

The five-day worldwide opening of $389M passed which title as the biggest for an animated feature?

The five-day domestic haul of $225 million nearly equalled the first Moana's entire domestic run.

What CinemaScore did audiences give Moana 2?

That was a step down from the first film's A; critics gave it 61% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Disney said Moana 2 was its most-watched film of 2025 on Disney+ with more than how many views?

It also drew 27.3 million views in its first five days, the best launch for a Disney Animation title since Encanto.

What criticism did CinemaBlend's Dirk Libbey make of the structure?

He noted characters like Matangi, Loto, Kele and Moni never get the backstories a series would have given them.

Which award was Moana 2 nominated for at the 82nd Golden Globes?

'Beyond' and 'Can I Get a Chee Hoo?' were both nominated at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

Who voices the grumpy farmer Kele on Moana's wayfinding crew?

Hualālai Chung voices Moni, the crew member who is a devoted Maui fan.

Who voices the storm god Nalo in the film's mid-credits scene?

Jemaine Clement returns as the giant crab Tamatoa in the same scene.

What is the name of the heroine's fan club, whose members are voiced by Dwayne Johnson's daughters?

Johnson's mother Ata Maivia Johnson also voices a villager.

Which Disney executive first announced Moana: The Series at a December 2020 investor day?

The Disney Animation creative chief pitched a five-episode musical comedy for Disney+ in 2023 before it became a feature.

Which fan-made stage project brought Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear to Disney's attention?

They became the youngest and first all-female duo to write songs for a Disney film, recruited in autumn 2021.

How much did Moana 2 earn on Thanksgiving Day itself, a record?

That nearly doubled Frozen 2's previous Thanksgiving high of $14.9 million; opening day had brought $57.8 million.

Where did Deadline rank Moana 2 among the most profitable films of 2024?

Its calculated net profit was $415 million on a worldwide gross of $1.059 billion.

How many Disney+ views did Moana 2 draw in its first five days on the platform?

It was the best streaming launch for a Disney Animation title since Encanto and the third-highest for any theatrical film on Disney+.

Who did Dwayne Johnson confirm in July 2026 would write the third animated Moana film?

He made the announcement while promoting the live-action Moana remake.