During Disney’s Investor Day event, the studio confirmed that the 2016 animated hit film Moana is getting a sequel series on Disney+.
Moana brought to the screen the story of a 16-year-old strong-willed daughter of Polynesian village chief, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti. When a blight strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a legendary demigod, in the hope of returning the relic to Te Fiti and saving her people.
The Moana series was announced with a number of other animated series in development for the streaming platform, including the Big Hero 6 spinoff Baymax!, Tiana, and Zootopia+ as you can see in the post below:
Just Announced: @DisneyAnimation’s first-ever original animated series are coming to @DisneyPlus: Baymax!, Zootopia+, and Tiana are coming in 2022, and Moana, the series, in 2023. pic.twitter.com/s7aOht4uU6
— Disney (@Disney) December 11, 2020
The Moana animated series will reportedly follow the titular spirited voyagers as she once again ventures beyond the safety of her Polynesian island home of Motunui, and will see Walt Disney Animation bringing in storytellers from Moana’s home region of the Pacific Islands in order to faithfully continue to tell authentic stories of wayfinding and other traditions brought to life for generations through oral storytelling.
The movie was a huge success for Disney, receiving two nominations at the 89th Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, and Best Original Song for the inspirational “How Far I’ll Go”. Moana went on to gross $690 million at the box office on its estimated $175 million budget.
The Moana sequel is set to come to Disney+ sometime in 2023.