This year marks the first time since 2002 where Walt Disney Animation Studios releases two animated features in a year. After the surprise phenomena that is Zootopia (which recently surpassed $1 billion at the box office), WDAS will follow up with their second film of 2016 Moana, and an official teaser trailer of the movie has now been set sail online.

Set in ancient Polynesia in the South Pacific, Disney’s latest musical tells the tale of Moana (voiced by newcomer actress Auli'i Cravalho), a young navigator who sets sail to discover a fabled island with the help of Maui the mighty demi-god (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson of Planet 51).

The new movie will see the return of the legendary directing duo Ron Clements and John Musker, who have directed Disney classics including The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, and The Princess and the Frog, and will be their first venture into the world of computer-animation. The duo have also written the movie with several collaborators, including New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi (known for his local films like Eagle vs Shark, Boy, and the recent Hunt for the Wilderpeople).

Moana will be released in North American theatres in November 28th of this year in time for Thanksgiving.

Karlamon’s thoughts:
The teaser trailer is vague and doesn’t give much away, but from what I’ve seen, Moana seems promising as another big hit in the Disney Revival. The animation is gorgeous as expected from Disney, and the Polynesian theme is a great touch to make the movie stand out. However, since Zootopia has been regarded as among Disney’s greatest, having Moana be on par with that movie seems like a bit of a stretch. But regardless of that, I’m certain Ron and John will deliver something great with Moana.