With huge box office earnings, Disney might as well catch the wave that Moana has created. If it proves to be as successful as Disney's past animated hits like Frozen, we can expect a Moana sequel announcement anytime soon.
Moana is already following the footsteps of Frozen in having one the biggest Thanksgiving openings of all time. Moana, one of the best reviewed movies of the year has grossed about $81.1 million at the domestic theathers over the five-day holiday weekend. Its enough for Moana to have the 2nd spot in the all time list of highest grossing films for theTthanksgiving weekend; coincidentally behind Frozen which took in $93.6 million in its release.
Moana is the latest in Disney Animation Studios string of hits dating back to Tangled in 2010. It seems Disney is having another renaissance of sorts after Pixar has dominated the early 2000's period. The tables have turned for Disney as Pixar is now having troubles in their movies receiving mediocre reviews starting from Cars 2 to the recent "The Good Dinosaur" And with the trend that Disney has for their hit franchises, a sequel for Moana is sure to follow.
Disney has in fact announced sequels for their hit franchises in Frozen and Wreck it Ralph. So it will inevitable for plans of a Moana sequel to be revealed if Moana continues its hot box office earnings.
But besides the financial success that Moana has, there other reasons for a sequel to push through. Moana is the first Disney princess not linked to a romantic interest or a prince. Moana is more interested in leading her community and exploring the world rather than be involved in romance that all Disney princesses are known for. Besides Moana, the demi-god Maui is also full of potential narratives for a sequel. Maui mythology has a vast collection of stories that can stand on its own movie.
Disney Animation Studios also has room in their schedule for a Moana sequel. In the next four years, the studio scheduled to release Frozen 2 at the end of 2017, Wreck it Ralph on March 2018 and two untitled projects in 2018 and 2020. It means 2019 is free for the studio to release Moana 2.
Despite the commercial flop that is Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass, Disney is poised to make 2016 its biggest year yet. With the release of Moana, Disney has surpassed Universal's record of $6.89 billion global sales in one year. Star Wars: Rogue One is also expected to be a big hit which might bring Disney's 2016 haul to about $8-$9 billion. It would be foolish of Disney to not ride the wave that Moana has created by not following it up with a sequel.
