Originally planned as a Disney+ series, Moana 2 is headed to the big screen instead, with Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson back as Moana and Maui. And now, thanks to the just-released teaser trailer for the film, we finally have a better look at what to expect.
In the under two minute long trailer, we get to see Moana (Cravalho) with her people, playing the drums, and revisiting familiar characters like Hei Hei the rooster (Alan Tudyk) and the Kakamora, the coconut pirates from the first flick.
That said, I will fully admit, given the strange development process of this film, I started to get a little nervous when there was no dialogue for a full minute plus of the runtime. Did they originally record this with other actors for TV, then subbed in Cravalho and Johnson? Had the duo not looped their dialogue yet, and Disney was rushing this into theaters on the back of several very bad years for the company?
I guess those are the sort of business things we don’t necessarily need to worry about on a site dedicated to parents recommending movies and shows to other parents. But at the same time with it being tumbleweeds or disappointing theatrical releases for families for the past several months – maybe years – I want Moana 2 to be good.
The jury is still out on that last point, but we do happily get dialogue from both actors as Maui reunites with Moana on her boat – and Hei Hei, his “boat snack.” He also gets a new boat snack in the form of Moana’s pet pig Pua, who is along for the journey this time. To the tune of “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em”: Maui, don’t eat ‘em.
Here’s the official synopsis per Disney, and you can watch the trailer for yourself, below:
“Opening only in theaters Nov. 27, 2024, Moana 2 reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, Moana 2 features music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foaʻi, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina.”