Disney returns to the water with Moana 3, its latest animated ocean musical adventure.
Dwayne Johnson, who plays the tattooed demigod Maui, teased the news while promoting the live-action movie Moana, which hits theaters on July 10th.
“Yes, we talked about Moana 3,” Johnson said at the Moana press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “But first, let’s release the live-action Moana first. We have the amazing screenwriters Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller…they’re going to write Moana 3.”
The original “Moana,” which grossed a whopping $680 million at the global box office in 2016, exploded in popularity on Disney+ and remains one of the most-watched streaming titles. “Moana 2” was originally developed to stream on Disney+ and was later remade into a feature film. Disney’s decision to release Moana in theaters was quickly vindicated. After being released around Thanksgiving 2024 with a record box office gross of $225 million, the sequel went on to gross $1.059 billion worldwide, making it a four-quadrant hit.
Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho are expected to reprise their voice roles in the trilogy as Maui and the eponymous Polynesian heroine. The original story revolves around a strong-willed village chief’s daughter who is chosen by the sea to restore the island’s prosperity. In the second film, the intrepid Wayfinder returns to the depths of the ocean to find a hidden island and lift the curse. Plot details for the third film have not been revealed.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote such memorable hits as “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” in the first film, did not return for the second film, instead handing over songwriting duties to Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the duo best known at the time for the “unofficial Bridgerton musical.” It is unknown who will write the music for the third installment.
As Johnson mentioned, before Moana 3 hits theaters, audiences will be able to return to the fictional island of Motunui and watch a live-action version of Disney’s original version. The remake, starring Johnson and starring newcomer Katherine LaGaia as Moana, was directed by Thomas Kail, who is making his feature debut, and written by Bush and Miller.
