Is Moana 2 streaming?

By Blair Marnell Updated November 30, 2024

Until earlier this year, Moana 2 wasn’t going to be a theatrical sequel. Instead, it was set up as a Moana animated series on Disney+. But since Disney is in dire need of an animated box office hit that wasn’t created by Pixar, the TV show was reshuffled into the film that’s currently playing in theaters.

Lin-Manuel Miranda — one of Disney’s most popular music collaborators of the past decade — did not return for the sequel. But his fellow songwriters Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i did come back to create new music for Moana 2. Most of the main cast members also returned, including Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Maui, Temuera Morrison as Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Rachel House as Tala, and Alan Tudyk as Hei Hei.

Now, it’s time to answer the question that brought you to this post.

No. Say what you will about Walt Disney Pictures, but the company does tend to learn from its mistakes. Eventually. Disney’s animated films are the crown jewels of the studio, and it’s never had a true blockbuster hit with a movie that premiered theatrically day-and-date with its Disney+ debut. It’s just not going to happen anytime soon, if ever again.

Longtime box-office observers may have already noticed that Disney’s animation studio has been on a cold streak. If Wish was a bomb, then Strange World was a nuclear blast. Even Encanto didn’t find its audience until it went to Disney+. Pixar — the other animation studio within Disney’s corporate umbrella — had similar issues until Elemental had a solid showing in 2023 and Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing film of 2024. Is Moana 2 going to be able to do the same thing for Disney’s original animated studio? The jury is still out on that one.

Disney doesn’t have a set schedule to bring its movies to Disney+, but Inside Out 2 does give us a roadmap that may apply. That film arrived on Disney+ just over three months after its debut. It was also uncommonly successful at the box office, which probably lengthened its stay in theaters. Moana 2 will likely follow a similar path to streaming, which would put it on Disney+ near the end of February 2025 or the beginning of March 2025. In the unlikely event that Moana 2 bombs in theaters, it could have a quicker release on Disney+.

There may still be a push to bring Moana 2 to streaming sooner than usual simply because the first film has been such a phenomenal performer for Disney+. That may be shortsighted if it cuts into any Moana 2 Blu-ray sales ahead of its streaming debut. Regardless, this film was originally envisioned as a Disney+ project, so it’s only fitting that it return there after riding the waves at the box office.