Moana 2’s New Song Perfectly Reflects Disney’s Major Release Plan Change

Moana 2 includes a new song that perfectly reflects the major change made to Disney’s plans related to the sequel. The sequel to Moana is one of the most highly anticipated animated movies, but it almost didn’t happen in the expected way. When it was originally conceived Moana 2 was an animated Disney+ TV series. This wouldn’t have been the first time Disney turned a hit show into a TV series. In the 90s, both Aladdin and Hercules received sequel TV series before direct-to-video movies. Despite working for both these shows, this would’ve been a tragedy for Moana.

Firstly, a movie as big and successful as Moana certainly deserves a theatrical sequel, especially after the success of Frozen 2. Disney fans have been ubiquitously asking for a Moana sequel. Moreover, Disney needs a huge win after multiple box office failures. Luckily, Disney changed directions, making Moana 2 a movie instead of a TV show. Also, rather than making it a direct-to-streaming movie, the much-anticipated sequel is releasing in theaters. This positive news created a hilariously wonderful irony after the Moana 2 trailer released at CinemaCon showed a snippet of a new song that will appear in the film.

Moana 2’s Song Lyrics Are Even Better After Theatrical Release Change

The movie footage provided at CinemaCon includes Moana returning to Motanui after a multi-day adventure, singing, “Finally we’re back to who we’re meant to be.” This line is reflective of the fact that Moana 2 should’ve always been a movie sequel, not a TV show. After all, Moana is one of the best animated Disney movies of the 2010s. The song – which would’ve likely been great either way – wouldn’t have a wonderfully meta meaning if the sequel came out in a series on Disney+.

Then, the CinemaCon footage shows the village starting to sing, at which point one character tells children about Moana, “The legendary wayfinder.” The character’s passion and the description of Moana – the character – reflect the audience members who may be introducing their children to the incredible character and story for the first time because of Moana 2, which is coming out in theaters on November 27, 2024.

Moana 2’s Song Likely Isn’t Meant To Reference Disney’s Release Change

The line seems on the nose when it comes to the release change; however, it likely wasn’t intended to be meta. Bob Iger explained that the reason Moana 2 was changed into a movie is because Disney executives saw the episodes and songs already written and saw potential (via Screen Rant). With this in mind, the song was likely written and recorded before they made the change. As such, the lyrics probably just reference the plot of Moana 2. Despite this, it’s still a fun and strange coincidence that audiences can enjoy.