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The runtime of Disney's upcoming Moana 2 movie is surprisingly shorter than its predecessor.
According to the sequel's listing on Fandango, Moana 2 has a runtime of 100 minutes. If this is true, it will be seven minutes shorter than the first movie.
It is a shocking development for the sequel. Usually, sequels go bigger. Recently, Frozen 2's runtime was a minute longer than its predecessor. While not a major change, it is surprising that the Moana sequel is significantly shorter than the first.
On the bright side, a shorter sequel means it can play more frequently at movie theaters. If the sequel is hoping to top its predecessor's box office haul, it will need all the help it can get.
When does Moana 2 come out?
Disney will release Moana 2 over eight years after the first movie on November 27, 2024. It arrives just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. The first came out on November 23, 2016.
A new team takes over the reins for the sequel. David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller directed it, with the latter also co-writing the script with Jared Bush.
The sequel also lost Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). He previously composed some of the songs in the first movie. In his place is Opetaia Foa'i, who wrote songs for the previous movie as well, and newcomers Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.
Mark Mancina also returns to compose the score. He is best known for composing the scores of Bad Boys, Twister, and The Lion King.
Moana 2 picks up a few years after the events of the first movie. Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) receives a call from her wayfinding ancestors. This call causes her to form a crew, including Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and go on a journey to find the lost island of Motufetu.
Originally, Moana 2 was being developed as a streaming series for Disney+. It was eventually reworked into a feature film for the studio.
What was the first movie about?
The first Moana movie depicted the title character's journey to find Maui. She hopes to save the Te Fiti relic and her people in the process.
It was directed by the duo of John Musker and Ron Clements based on a script written by Jared Bush. Disney released it in theaters on November 23, 2016, and it was a big hit. Throughout its theatrical run, Moana grossed $643 million worldwide.
The box office run began with a stellar Thanksgiving five-day weekend haul of $82 million in the United States. It legged out to a total of $248 million domestically.
Moana was such a big hit that it spawned a sequel and a live-action remake. Disney will release a live-action adaptation of Moana in 2026, less than a year after the first animated sequel comes out, on July 10.
While Auli'i Cravalho will not return in the title role, Dwayne Johnson is set to play Maui in the live-action remake. They will be joined by John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen.
Thomas Kail, who previously directed Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway productions of In the Heights and Hamilton, will direct the Moana live-action remake.
