With a Moana sequel coming to theaters this year, Disney has confirmed an unfortunate update on the live-action remake.
Disney has officially confirmed the live-action Moana film will be delayed. The studio revealed several new dates for its upcoming projects, and many suffered changes.
On Friday, Disney announced that Moana, the live-action reboot, will premiere later than scheduled (via The Hollywood Reporter). Disney confirmed several changes, and announced Pixar’s Toy Story 5 will premiere on June 19, 2026. Meanwhile, Moana will be delayed by one year with a premiere on July 10, 2026. Initially, the film was slated to premiere on June 27, 2025.
Disney confirmed the live-action Moana in April 2023. Dwayne Johnson, who will reprise his role as the demigod Maui in both the animated sequel and the live-action film confirmed in an interview from February that the live-action Moana has found its titular actress. Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 film, will not be a part of the live-action project.
Johnson also recently clarified on Instagram the current Moana projects. Answering to a fan who asked whether Moana would get a sequel or a live-action remake, he wrote “Both!” The actor explained, “Moana animated sequel comes out this holiday season and we’ll film live action Moana this year.” He didn’t provide any additional information about the exact filming date or the actress playing Moana.
Why Live Action Moana’s Delay Is a Good Thing
The first Moana premiered in 2016 and it was very successful. The animated series grossed $248.7 million domestically, ending its run with $687.2 million worldwide (via The Numbers). It added another $147 million in DVD and Blu-Ray sales. On top of that, the reception for the animated film was very positive. Moana holds a Certified Fresh 95% rating from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score sharing a similar sentiment at 89%.
However, despite how well-received the film was, it wasn’t until 2024 that Disney fully confirmed its commitment to Moana. In 2023, the studio announced a live-action version, and in February 2024, it officially confirmed Moana 2 is happening.
Initially planned to return with a TV series on Disney+, the project switched into an animated film. “We were impressed with what we saw, and we knew it deserved a theatrical release,” Disney’s CEO Bob Iger said. “The original Moana film from 2016 recently crossed 1 billion hours streamed on Disney+ and was the most-streamed movie of 2023 on any platform in the U.S.”
Since the upcoming animated sequel is scheduled for release on Nov. 27, 2024, delaying the live-action Moana is actually a good thing. That way, fans won’t get confused for having two versions too close to each other, giving both the sequel and the live-action enough time to shine on their own.
The live-action Moana will premiere on Jul. 10, 2026.
