Disney Animation Studios' latest production, "Moana 2" (directed by Dave Derrick Jr. and others), which was released in Japan last December, will be available exclusively on Disney+ for unlimited viewing from March 26th.
"Moana 2" is a sequel to the previous film "Moana" (released in Japan in March 2017), which was produced in 2016. Three years after the previous film, the main character Moana, who has a special bond with the sea, is spending time with her family and friends, but when she learns of a legend that "if she reaches an island at the end of the sea, the curse will be lifted," she becomes the one "guide" every 1,000 years that connects all the seas, and decides to embark on a dangerous voyage. The film depicts Moana embarking on another adventure with Maui, the demigod who adventured with her in the previous film, and new companions.
In the US, it set a new box office record for the highest opening weekend gross in the history of film. It also became a massive hit, grossing over 1,058,750,000 dollars (approximately 158.8 billion yen, according to Box Office Mojo, calculated at 150 yen to the dollar). In Japan, it started off in the top spot in the weekend rankings and third place in the history of Disney animation, following the social phenomenon that was the Frozen series. By March 20, it had attracted 3.91 million viewers and grossed over 5,161 million yen (including the advance screening on December 5). It has been a huge hit, grossing more than the previous film.
The Japanese version will feature China Tomona Yabiku as Moana, Matsuya Onoe as Maui, Yuta Koseki as Moni, Rio Suzuki as Loto, Kazuhiro Yamaji as Kele, Yuria Masutome as Simea, and Mari Natsuki as Tara. The Japanese ending song will be performed by the girl group "ME:I".
