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One of the most surprising announcements of the year was when Disney told the world that the Moana TV series that was being produced wasn’t going to be a series after all – it was going to be a full-on movie sequel coming our way by the end of the year. Now, thanks to the first Moana 2 trailer, we have our first glimpse at what new adventures await Moana and Maui when the movie hits cinemas this November.

The opening sequence of the Moana 2 trailer could tell us more about the plot of the movie than everything that follows. In it, a crab scuttles across the sand, searching for a new shell as it has outgrown its current one. Cue Moana taking its choice for a new shell and replacing it with a different one. Could the theme of Moana 2 be about needing to find a new home once you’ve outgrown your current one? Or is it simply an allusion to the fact that Moana 2 outgrew its previous home on Disney+ and, instead, was destined for the big screen?

The following minute of footage doesn’t offer much more insight. We get hints at Moana calling to her ancestors, much like she did in the first film. She says, via voiceover, that she must unite all her people who have been scattered across the oceans. Maui shows up and threatens to eat not one but two adorable animal sidekicks.

Moana 2 is coming to cinemas on November 27, 2024, making for a potential Thanksgiving showdown between it and Wicked Part 1, released the same day. It is going to be a musical-heavy holiday this year.

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