Summary
The new trailer forMoana 2shatters Disney’s record for most views in 24 hours for an animated movie. The highly anticipated sequel releasing in November sees Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson reprising their roles as Moana and the demigod Maui from the beloved first film. The story was originally going to be a Disney+ sequel series but ultimately took on the form of a full-lengththeatrical film now known asMoana 2.
According toDeadline, theMoana 2trailerreceived 178 million views in the 24 hourssince its online debut, beating out the previous records held byInside Out 2,Frozen 2, andIncredibles 2. This means it becameDisney’s most-watched trailer for an animated movie. Viewership numbers were collected from YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. In addition to the staggering number of online views, the trailer has been met with mostly positive reception and enthusiasm for the upcoming sequel.
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Why Moana Looks So Different in Moana 2
The recent Moana 2 teaser trailer offers a glimpse at the franchise’s leading character, Moana, who looks much different after the first film.
Moana 2 Should Be Disney Animation’s Biggest Thanksgiving Box Office Hit Since 2019
Disney’s Recent Thanksgiving Releases Have Been Disappointing.
BetweenMoana 2’s trailer being an immediate success and it being a long-awaited sequel to one of Disney’s most popular movies from the past decade, it shouldeasily be the studio’s highest-grossing Thanksgiving release sinceFrozen II.
Moana 2’s record-breaking trailer viewership bodes well for its theatrical performance, a welcome sign for Disney after their animated films have struggled at the box office in recent years, particularly for Thanksgiving releases. Disney’s 2019 Thanksgiving release,Frozen II, performed exceptionally well, generating over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Theaters were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic during Thanksgiving 2020, and the 2021-2023 Thanksgiving releases all underperformed.
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Wish(2023)
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Strange WorldandWishwere critical and financial disappointments for Disney, and whileEncantobecame a cultural phenomenon, this only occurred after it debuted on Disney+, with the film only earning a $96.1 million domestic gross. BetweenMoana 2’s trailerbeing an immediate success and it being a long-awaited sequel to one of Disney’s most popular movies from the past decade, it shouldeasily be the studio’s highest-grossing Thanksgiving release sinceFrozen II.
As for whetherMoana 2can surpassFrozen II’s1.4 billion office success, that is difficult to assess at this point. The trailer performances are inMoana 2’s favor, butthe box office has generally been down from where it was before 2020. The best asset toMoana 2’s box office will be good word of mouth, which helped Pixar’sElementalmake a box office comeback and could give Moana and Maui’s return to the big screen the edge needed to shatter more Disney records.
Moanais streaming on Disney+.Moana 2releases in theaters on July 05, 2025.
Moana 2
Cast
Moana 2 is the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film continues the journey of Moana as she embarks on new adventures, exploring the vast Pacific Ocean while encountering new characters and challenges along the way.
