I don’t know whether to strand myself on an island or say “You’re welcome” to Disney after hearing that a third film in the studio’s Moana franchise is in the works. While Disney has not officially said that Moana 3 is happening, Dwayne Johnson, who voices Maui in the first two animated films and reprises the role for the upcoming live-action remake, says he’s had discussions with the studio about another installment of the animated franchise.
“Yes, we have talked about ‘Moana 3,’ yes,” Johnson said at a press conference for Moana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “But first, live-action Moana, we’ll let that come out first. We have [the] amazing Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, who have been our writers … they will pen Moana 3.” Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho are expected to reprise their voice roles in the threequel as Maui and the eponymous Polynesian heroine.
The first Moana film was a massive hit for Disney with a global box office total of $680 million in 2016. Meanwhile, its sequel, Moana 2, was released in 2024 and earned over $1 billion worldwide, making a third movie in the series an inevitability. A live-action reimagining of the original film, starring Dwayne Johnson as Maui and Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, rides an enchanted tide into theaters on July 10. In the upcoming film, John Tui plays Chief Tui, with Frankie Adams playing Sina, Rena Owen playing Gramma Tala, and Jemaine Clements reprising his role as the Kaiju-sized crab Tamatoa.
While the numbers for Disney’s live-action Moana have yet to wash ashore, if the movie performs anything like last year’s live-action version of Lilo & Stitch, we’ll hear about a live-action Moana sequel in due time. The live-action version of Lilo & Stitch earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, blowing Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White ($205.6M) out of the water.
I’ve not seen Moana 2 yet. I should get on that. I still need to watch Hoppers, too. I have the day off tomorrow, so maybe I’ll do a double feature. As for Moana 3, if Disney can come up with a fun idea for a sequel, I’m down. They’re going to make it anyway, right? Plus, the first one was great. Who’s to say there aren’t more adventures to enjoy with Moana and Maui? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.