After a few years, Moana 2 will officially begin Disney’s new animation era by embracing a sequel trend

One of the most anticipated movies left to release in 2024 is Moana 2The sequel to Disney Animation Studios’ 2016 hit Moana. Moana 2 Boasting the same great cast from the first film, it tells a brand new story that is shaping up to be a big hit for Disney. With a couple of trailers released, Moana 2 Heads are already turning, and in a year overflowing with big animated projects, Moana 2 It seems like it will only continue the trend.

However, the film is not only the sequel to Disney’s 2016 hit, vi Moana 2 Changes in how Disney Animation Studios has operated, and precipitates the beginning of a new era for the classic company. As a studio that has been around for almost a hundred years, they have operated in a very similar way for the majority of their existence, and only now, With the shifts in the media landscape in recent years, their strategy seems to be changing substantiallyAnd Moana 2 is just the beginning.

Moana 2 is the beginning of Disney’s new sequel trend

Their upcoming slate features more of the same

Moana 2 is one of Disney’s few sequel films, joining the ranks of Ralph breaks the internet And Frozen 2 Like direct theatrical Disney sequels. While historically, Disney has released their movies as one-off explorations of entirely new worlds and characters, their upcoming slate seems to indicate that will be changing. With their next two movies being Zootopia 2 And Frozen 3, Disney seems to be trying to move in a more sequel and franchise driven directionContinue the stories of some of their most popular projects instead of creating brand new IP.

Disney’s sequel push seems to stem from the massive, record-breaking success of Frozen 2Making $1.462 billion dollars, surpassing the original FrozenS$1.306 billion and became the highest grossing animated movie of all time Inside Out 2. Disney clearly wants to continue raking in money with frozen 3, And they are positioning Zootopia 2 to emulate the success of the original’s 1.023 billion dollar box office run. Moana was a slightly milder success, making $687 million, and with Moana 2The outcome of Disney’s new sequel experiments will become clear.

Moana 2 has the potential to become a massive success

Sequels to beloved animated movies are in

2024 has been a pretty crazy year for animated movies, with many releases that will be considered among the biggest movies of the year. Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time with a record-shattering $1.673 billion, Despicable Me 4 Continued the success of the franchise with $961 million, Kung Fu Panda 4 Brought the franchise over the $2 billion mark, The Garfield movie was a success, and The wild robot Made enough to warrant a sequel. 2024 was a banner year for animated moviesAnd it seems unlikely that success will stall.

Considering Moana 2 Is released in a year with all the successes, it seems almost impossible for the film not to stand there with them. With the unfortunate exception of Transformers one At the box office, all the big studio animated films have done extremely well, and the one thing in common with the top 4 is that They are all sequels or parts of a huge franchise. Moana Was already loved when it came out, and in the years since it has become a modern classic, so Moana 2 Looks like it will be the sure hit that Disney needs.

Disney Animation Studios has had a few years

Their last few projects haven’t moved the needle

Despite the major successes of the Walt Disney Company recently, in the last few years Disney Animation Studios itself has been in a rough place. Just one of the company’s projects after the wild success of Frozen 2 Was able to make much of an impact, and Encanto would still likely qualify as a moderate successDidn’t make much during its initial box office run, though its streaming release did bring Encanto The success it deserved.

however, Encanto was the studio’s lone bright spot in four years. Raya and the Last Dragon Reviewed pretty solidly, but underperformed at the box office, as it was released simultaneously on Disney+. Strange world Massively bombed despite reviewing decently, and wish Neither reviewed well nor performed well at the box office. With these recent issues, Disney’s reliance on sequels for their upcoming movies seems understandable, and the outcome of Moana 2 Will certainly illuminate the company’s way forward.