The first challenge of releasing sequels to the studio’s animated works will begin with “Moana 2” with a debut in cinemas in November 2024.
It is noted that the continuation of “Moana” was initially planned to be developed as a TV series, but in the end they focused on a full-length animated film.
“After receiving an unexpected signal from her ancestors, Moana must travel to the far seas of Oceania and into the dangerous waters to embark on an incredible adventure.”
Moana 2 is directed by Dave Derrick Jr. and features music by Abigail Barlow and Emily Baer, along with Opetai Foai and Mark Mancina, who worked on the first film.
The first cartoon earned more than $680 million at the box office for Disney, and gained additional attention last year with more than 1 billion hours of streaming on the studio’s streaming service.
Meanwhile, another long-awaited animated sequel, Zootopia 2, will debut in November 2025. In 2016, the original earned more than $1 billion at the global box office and won the Oscar for best animated film.
“Frozen 3” and “Toy Story 5” are expected in 2026.
Upcoming Disney & Pixar sequels:
2024 – ‘Inside Out 2’, ‘Moana 2’
2025 – ‘Zootopia 2’
2026 – ‘Frozen 3’, ‘Toy Story 5’. pic.twitter.com/Ye7zVP51ia— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 7, 2024
The original “Frozen” and its 2019 sequel were big hits for Disney — according to Variety, “Frozen 2” remains the biggest animated release of all time with $1.45 billion at the box office (the original grossed just under $1.33 billion).
Disney is working on the animated film “Frozen heart 4” – in parallel with the development of the third
Meanwhile, Fede Alvarez’s Alien 20th Century reboot is now known as Alien: Romulus. According to the description, “young people from a distant world will encounter the most terrifying life form in the universe.” It is still scheduled for release on August 16, 2024, and stars Kayleigh Spain, Isabella Merced, Eileen Wu, Spike Fearn, David Jonsson, and Archie Reno. The new feature story is unrelated to the FX series.
Among other things, Disney chief Bob Iger has confirmed the development of Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grog, which will begin a new wave of Star Wars movies. The release is likely to take place in 2026, and filming will start this year.
At least three more films from the Star Wars universe have been previously announced – this is the work of Sharmeen Obeid-China with Daisy Ridley in the lead role; tape by James Mangold, dedicated to the first Jedi; and animator Dave Filoni’s work, which will focus on the New Republic and tie into the Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, and The Boba Fett series.
Context
In 2023, Disney faced a black “box office” streak, not having received a single “billionaire film” and was distinguished by two unsuccessful debuts in a month: the animated film “Desire” earned a disappointing $49 million (the film cost Disney $200 million), and the superhero ” Marvel” achieved the title of the lowest-grossing Marvel film in history.
Disney doesn’t have any of its movies in the top three for 2023, with Warner Bros. taking the top spots. with Barbie ($1.4 billion) and Universal with Super Mario ($1.3 billion) and Oppenheimer ($950 million). For comparison, in 2019, as many as 7 studio releases, including Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King, earned more than $1 billion worldwide. Therefore, considering the plans for the future, the studio decided to focus on its collection of financially successful animated projects to at least return to previous box office figures.
