Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has confirmed that a third installment of Disney's animated musical adventure Moana is in active development. Speaking at a press conference to promote the upcoming live-action Moana film, Johnson stated that writers Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, who previously worked on Moana 2 and the live-action remake, are set to pen the script for Moana 3.
While an official release window has not been announced, animated films typically require several years for production. The confirmation comes ahead of the live-action Moana remake's release next weekend. The necessity of remaking a film less than a decade old has been a point of discussion among audiences, though the success of other live-action adaptations, such as How to Train Your Dragon and last summer's Lilo & Stitch, which grossed over $1 billion and is slated for a summer 2028 sequel release, suggests a continued appetite for such projects.
Moana 2, which was released following the live-action remake, garnered mixed reviews despite its box office success, breaking the billion-dollar mark. IGN awarded the sequel a 6/10, noting that while it delivered some laughs and featured an intriguing new character, it failed to significantly enrich the world established in the original film and felt stifled in its narrative potential, ultimately serving as a reminder of the original's strengths, particularly its songs and supporting characters.