How Moana 2 going from a series to a movie changed its storyline

How did Moana 2 get put together so quickly? Find out how it went from a TV show to a big-screen sequel and how the story was changed!

Sequels to Disney animated films are nothing new. The company went wild for direct-to-video sequels in the 1990s and 2000s with varying results. They're sticking more to big-screen sequels and huge hits like Frozen 2 and Inside Out 2 with more planned.

Usually, an animated movie takes years to put together and a lot of care is put into it. It's why all those direct-to-video sequels are disliked; they lacked the time for the animators to put care into them, and they looked much cheaper than the big screen efforts. 

That's why fans were astounded when, earlier this year, Disney announced Moana 2 was coming to theaters. It wasn't that a sequel to the 2016 hit was a surprise. That movie was a huge success with its storyline and music so a follow-up was natural. 

The surprise was that the film was announced as coming to theaters in Thanksgiving 2024. In an industry where an animated film going from start to finish in two or three years is the standard, this hitting so soon with almost no word it was even in development was completely unexpected. 

In a new digital cover story for Entertainment Weekly, the producers of Moana 2 have shared that the reason for the surprise sequel is that it was going to be a Disney+ animated series. However, Disney Animation's chief creative officer, Jennifer Lee said that as the story and scope grew, they realized it was meant for the big screen. 

"We constantly screen [our projects], even in drawing [phase] with sketches. It was getting bigger and bigger and more epic, and we really wanted to see it on the big screen. It creatively evolved, and it felt like an organic thing. Supporting the theaters is something that we talked about. We love Disney+, but it will go there eventually. You could really put it anywhere, but these artists create stories that they want to see on the big screen and that we want the world to see on the big screen."

While it's easy to see Disney swayed by the box office potential in a sequel, Lee insisted this was about the story and characters first and how the movie will work much better in theaters then on Disney+. 

It also meant improving the story a lot and shifting the plans for other characters.

How Moana 2 going to theaters changed the story

Obviously, changing a planned TV show to a movie meant some major alterations, which co-directors Jason Hand, David Derrick Jr., and Dana Ledoux Miller accepted. The plan was always for Moana to have a crew aiding her, and shifting it to a movie also transformed the idea of it being an ensemble tale, as Miller said. 

"It was a matter of finding a way to truly make it Moana's story. In the series, there was a lot more room to play with some of the ensemble. [The shift was about] streamlining into all the things that we love most about Moana as our hero and our adventurer. We have all of that now and it pops so much more, especially with the scale that we get to live in on the big screen. Every element of the adventure that we were already building in the series is now 10 times bigger, 10 times more exciting."

Those new characters are Moni (Hualālai Chung), Kele (David Fane), and Loto (Rose Matafeo). While the TV series was meant to deepen each with spotlights on them, Derrick and Miller are confident that each character will still pop nicely on film.  

"We get to crank up all our favorite parts of them. From all of the grumpiness of one character to the eccentricities of another character, we have the most fun in the time that we have. That's what really makes them all pop — when we see them, they really shine."

The storyline has Moana on a quest after Maui gets himself into trouble with a dark power. The directors said the characters are "now on equal footing," and much of Maui's arc is forcing himself to accept help. "When they're together, they can do anything. The world becomes theirs," Lee teases. 

Even the songwriters were pleasantly surprised at the change to the film. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear had been hired to replace Lin-Manuel Miranda and enjoyed crafting a bevy of new songs. "We supercharged Moana again," Bear says. "She became the center of everything, and that showed itself in our music."

"Moana has grown as a human, but also as a leader," Barlow added. "And we wanted to allow that to be reflected in her melodies."

While the discussion is on the characters, it's more fascinating to see how Disney had such faith in Moana 2 to transform it from a TV show to a probable hit movie and continue its main character's wonderful journey. 

Moana 2 premieres in theaters November 27.