Hit animated film Moana is getting a sequel which is due to hit screens in November.
Originally planned as a TV series, Disney boss Bob Iger revealed on Wednesday that it would now be a second movie, adding, “we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui”.
The first film made more than $680m (£538m) at the global box office and has been streamed for over one billion hours on Disney+. It was also nominated for two Oscars.
In the first film, Moana – who lives on the fictional Polynesian island of Motunui – goes on a journey across the ocean with the demigod Maui to help save her people.
The next chapter will see her embark on a dangerous mission to the far seas of Oceania after getting a call from her ancestors.
The description of the sequel claims it will be “an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced”.
Due for release on 27 November, it will be directed by David Derrick Jr and some of the musical talent include Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Mark Mancina, and Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i.
No information about voice actors has been released.
A live-action version of Moana is also in production, starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who voices demigod Maui in the first movie.
Due for release in 2025, Moana has yet to be cast in the live-action remake, but original voice actor Auli’i Cravalho has confirmed she won’t be playing the role.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie will come to Disney too. Pic: AP
Disney has also revealed that it will be creating “a games and entertainment universe” with Fortnite maker Epic Games, featuring games, shows and characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar.
They have paid $1.5bn (£1.2bn) for a stake in the game developer.
Disney has also secured the streaming rights for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which will come to the platform on 15 March.
The massively popular music movie – which many Swifties have seen numerous times – will include five songs that were not included in the theatrical or video-on-demand releases.
The company has had better than expected financial return for the final three months of 2023, largely due to its theme parks and cost cutting, including the loss of thousands of jobs.
While their Disney+ streaming site lost 1.3 million subscribers during the period, it made more money from each subscriber due to price increases for the service, and it expects to add up to six million subscribers in the first part of this year.
