Disney fans go wild as sequel to blockbuster film rated 96% on Rotten Tomatoes is announced: ‘This is the only movie I’m looking forward to this year’

Disney fans have gone wild after the company announced a blockbuster sequel set to hit theaters in November.

Moana 2 was originally going to be a series that would appear on Disney+, but CEO Bob Iger announced Wednesday that the studio plans to release the series as a feature film.

Its predecessor from 2016 scores a score of 96 percent Rotten tomatoesso moviegoers are understandably excited about the shock release.

Reacting to the big news, one expectant fan wrote, “Moana 2 is the only movie I’m looking forward to this year (sic).”

The move comes as several studios and streaming services are combining streaming releases in favor of more financially lucrative theatrical features.

The upcoming feature film will hit theaters in November this year. Pictured: A ‘first look’ at Moana 2

One fan wrote: ‘Moana 2?? We didn’t see this coming, I can’t wait’

The timing of the announcement was particularly surprising, as Disney has already announced plans to release a live-action remake of the first Moana film, which would see original voice actor Dwayne Johnson reprise his role as demigod Māui.

It’s unclear whether he or Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) will reprise their leading roles in the sequel.

However, this hasn’t stopped the excitement.

Others responded to the news on X by saying, “So you were dealing with it all this time?! I can’t wait to see it! Hard to believe that the first one will be 8 years old at the end of this year!!…

‘Well, this is very sudden, but we’ll watch!…

‘Moana is one of my all-time favorites, I just hope they don’t screw it up in the sequel…

‘Moana 2?? We didn’t see this coming, I can’t wait…

‘I didn’t see this coming. I’m more excited about this than the live-action movie!’

According to DeadlineDisney reliably locks in the five-day Thanksgiving holiday from Wednesday through Sunday for an animated movie release, so Moana 2 will likely be released then.

“Moana continues to be an incredibly popular franchise, and we can’t wait to show you more of Moana and Maui when Moana 2 hits theaters in November,” said Iger.

Moana 2 was described in a synopsis from Disney as an “extensive new journey featuring Moana, Maui and a brand new crew of unlikely seafarers.”

It adds, “After Moana receives an unexpected call from her agile ancestors, she must journey to the distant seas of Oceania and dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure she has never experienced before.”

The sequel features a new director, Dave Derrick Jr., and composer Mark Mancina returns to write the film’s score.

Opetaia Foa’i, who co-wrote the original songs, also returns, but songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda was not announced as part of the project.

Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear will join the project on the songwriting department.

A wordless short video that accompanied Iger’s announcement showed a character appearing to be Moana getting off a boat and onto shore before blowing a signal through a conch shell.

Iger (pictured last year) explained that Disney had adapted what was originally billed as a sequel series to Disney+ into a feature film intended for theatrical release.

According to a synopsis from Disney, Moana 2 will be an “extensive new journey featuring Moana, Maui and a brand new crew of unlikely seafarers.”

“After receiving an unexpected call from her agile ancestors, Moana must travel to the distant seas of Oceania and dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure she has never experienced before,” it added.

A short clip released Wednesday shows a figure appearing to be Moana stepping onto the shore and blowing a signal through a conch before pulling back to reveal the title card

It’s unclear if Dwayne Johnson will reprise his voice role as Maui, but he is already starring in a live-action remake of the Moana slated for 2025.

It was also not announced whether Auli’i Cravalho (above), who starred in the first film, would return for the sequel

The view then pulled back to reveal a title card for Moana 2.

After raking in an impressive $687 million at the global box office upon its release in 2016, Moana is still a popular streaming film on the Disney+ service, so it’s a logical choice for the studio to make a sequel.

As studios and streamers face declining subscriber growth and a lack of monetization opportunities from streaming shows and movies, more and more studios are turning to traditional theatrical releases to generate meaningful revenue.

A sequel to a popular family film is probably a safe bet for Disney, especially after the box office bombs Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny and The Marvels, as well as the disappointing animated film Wish.