Moana 2 (Disney Animation - November 2024)

[Ghost93]

What makes you think they won’t try anything new or risky?

Original movies either were critical and commercial duds (Strange World, Wish) or were financial flops due to being sent straight to streaming (Soul, Luca, Turning Red) or people deciding to wait for streaming (Raya, Encanto). Even something like Elemental merely "broke even" rather than become a massive hit.

So when movies like Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 financially dominate and put Disney's recent original movies to shame, it sends Disney the message "more sequels, less originals."

I REALLY hope Elio is a good movie and does well at the box office, or this trend will continue.

 

[LittleBuford]

So when movies like Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 financially dominate and put Disney's recent original movies to shame, it sends Disney the message "more sequels, less originals."

I think that's a bit alarmist when we have no evidence that Disney will act according to this message. Their approach for years now has been to release more original films alongside (seemingly) safer ones (sequels and remakes). I personally don't think that's going to change.

 

[DisneyWarrior27]

Interesting crossover marketing.

If only they had another live action adaptation of one of their classic animated films to promote before May.

Christopher Robin…

 

[Farerb]

When was the last time Disney even took risks? Even their "original" movies are derivative.

 

[TsWade2]

Original movies either were critical and commercial duds (Strange World, Wish) or were financial flops due to being sent straight to streaming (Soul, Luca, Turning Red) or people deciding to wait for streaming (Raya, Encanto). Even something like Elemental merely "broke even" rather than become a massive hit.

So when movies like Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 financially dominate and put Disney's recent original movies to shame, it sends Disney the message "more sequels, less originals."

I REALLY hope Elio is a good movie and does well at the box office, or this trend will continue.

Actually, there's announcement that WDAS will have an original film in 2026.

 

[DKampy]

I think that's a bit alarmist when we have no evidence that Disney will act according to this message. Their approach for years now has been to release more original films alongside (seemingly) safer ones (sequels and remakes). I personally don't think that's going to change.

Correct… as far as I can recall Disney is still creating originals… they even just Announced the Original Hoppers at the last d23

 

[LittleBuford]

When was the last time Disney even took risks? Even their "original" movies are derivative.

I thought Strange World was quite daring, even if it didn’t quite land.

 

[LittleBuford]

Just saw Moana 2. It was OK. I thought the strongest part was the end; the rest was middling. The audience (mainly families with children) seemed to really enjoy it, though, and there was applause at the end, which somewhat surprised me.

I preferred Wish overall and think it was a better movie, especially in terms of the music

 

[Disney Irish]

When was the last time Disney even took risks? Even their "original" movies are derivative.

Welcome to Hollywood where everything is just a copy of something that came before it.

This isn’t isolated to Disney.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Just saw Moana 2. It was OK. I thought the strongest part was the end; the rest was middling. The audience (mainly families with children) seemed to really enjoy it, though, and there was applause at the end, which somewhat surprised me.

I preferred Wish overall and think it was a better movie, especially in terms of the music

Given the reviews / general response for this, Wish is clearly a stronger movie, and it's a shame it was treated so poorly and overlooked by the GP. No reason for it to have bombed, if Moana 2 is breaking all the records.

 

[LittleBuford]

Given the reviews / general response for this, Wish is clearly a stronger movie, and it's a shame it was treated so poorly and overlooked by the GP. No reason for it to have bombed, if Moana 2 is breaking all the records.

My thoughts exactly. I feel things may have played out quite differently with Wish had it come out this year instead. I guess we'll never know.

 

[Doberge]

The audience (mainly families with children) seemed to really enjoy it, though, and there was applause at the end, which somewhat surprised me.

Just had the same experience with people clapping and cheering at the end but I wasnt surprised because I thought it was a great sequel and will be enjoyed by families. It's unoriginal and even the music is formulaic (one song is even just the island version on Into the Unknown), but it's still entertaining and, imo, has a little more "heart" than the original.

 

[LittleBuford]

Just had the same experience with people clapping and cheering at the end but I wasnt surprised because I thought it was a great sequel and will be enjoyed by families. It's unoriginal and even the music is formulaic (one song is even just the island version on Into the Unknown), but it's still entertaining and, imo, has a little more "heart" than the original.

Glad others are enjoying it so much, even if I myself didn’t love it!

 

[BrianLo]

Well, Disney clearly made the right FINANCIAL decision by switching the film from a series to a movie, as they will likely gain at least a billion dollars.

My frustration continues to be that they should have never attempted the TV series to begin with, and Moana 2 should have been conceived as a theatrical venture from the start and have had Lin Manuel Miranda's involvement.

Iger agrees with you.

I think there’s zero percent chance this occurs again though. We established this core tentpole animated content is always better off released theatrically.

 

[DisneyWarrior27]

Iger agrees with you.

I think there’s zero percent chance this occurs again though. We established this core tentpole animated content is always better off released theatrically.

I don’t know, man.

They could still do something similar with Tiana’s Disney+ in-color Paperman-style animated series and turn it into a theatrical, fully 2D/hand-drawn animated film sequel to The Princess and the Frog, but have it pushed back to Thanksgiving 2029 so they don’t end up causing the same situation with Moana 2 on this one again and they not rush it and treat the animators right and give them 5 years to do it right.

Also, they could call it “Tiana: Princess of Maldonia and The Frogs” to have Tiana’s name in there while still making this known as a sequel to The Princess and the Frog, but in a way where Tiana doesn’t have to turn into a frog yet frogs can still look up to her as a leader. Plus, as one user said here, while people love that movie for Tiana, they also love it mainly because they love frogs, so calling it that name could help it get the best of both worlds, as Hannah Montana would say.

 

[BrianLo]

I don’t know, man.

They could still do something similar with Tiana’s Disney+ in-color Paperman-style animated series and turn it into a theatrical, fully 2D/hand-drawn animated film sequel to The Princess and the Frog, but have it pushed back to Thanksgiving 2029 so they don’t end up causing the same situation with Moana 2 on this one again and they not rush it and treat the animators right and give them 5 years to do it right

Sorry, I mean a zero percent chance they continue to make sequels to their biggest films as D+ fodder. There’s no Coco series headed to D+, for example.

Tiana predates this mandate shift back to theatrical. I think Tiana could be shunted towards theatrical, but very unlikely the art style changes.

 

[DisneyWarrior27]

Sorry, I mean a zero percent chance they continue to make sequels to their biggest films as D+ fodder. There’s no Coco series headed to D+, for example.

Tiana predates this mandate shift back to theatrical. I think Tiana could be shunted towards theatrical, but very unlikely the art style changes.

Well, Disney is hiring interns for cleanup work on 2D-animated projects, which is usually for movies, so there’s a chance you could be wrong and the animation/art style changes, since it’s so early into starting production that they can change it while it’s still early and not so far into production like Moana 2 that they can give this one advantage Moana 2 didn’t have.

I mean, we have to try.

I mean would it kill Disney to make one, JUST ONE, hand-drawn animated movie this decade at the end of the decade before it’s too late? I don’t think it would.

I mean we had one last decade (Winnie the Pooh in 2011).

There’s precedent for us to have only one this decade before it’s too late.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Hand-drawn features are dead for Disney.

 

[LittleBuford]

Hand-drawn features are dead for Disney.

I know you're right, but I still can't get past my sadness about it. I'm hoping there'll be some revival in a decade or so. Stranger things have happened.

 

[Disney Irish]

Well, Disney is hiring interns for cleanup work on 2D-animated projects, which is usually for movies, so there’s a chance you could be wrong and the animation/art style changes, since it’s so early into starting production that they can change it while it’s still early and not so far into production like Moana 2 that they can give this one advantage Moana 2 didn’t have.

I mean, we have to try.

I mean would it kill Disney to make one, JUST ONE, hand-drawn animated movie this decade at the end of the decade before it’s too late? I don’t think it would.

I mean we had one last decade (Winnie the Pooh in 2011).

There’s precedent for us to have only one this decade before it’s too late.

I really think you're reading too much into Disney hiring interns. We don't know what project that was for, nor how many were hired. For example if they hired 2 interns that isn't enough for a full feature length movie.

So I think its best to just temper your expectations there and just see what happens next.