MOANA 2 Breaks Records: Most Watched Disney Animated Trailer at 178m Views

Published: June 3, 2024

MOANA 2 Breaks Records: Most Watched Disney Animated Trailer at 178m Views

By Movieguide® Contributor

After Disney’s MOANA 2 trailer dropped on Wednesday, it broke records as the company’s most-watched animated trailer, with 178 million views in just 24 hours.

“That traffic sails by previous record holders INSIDE OUT 2 (157MM) and FROZEN 2 (116MM),” Deadline reported Thursday. “The figure also comes in above Pixar’s INCREDIBLES 2 (113MM).”

The tally came in across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook and Snapchat, collectively.

“There were very positive reactions for the animation, love of the original film and character fanship. Moana, Maui, and Pua were standout characters with audiences calling out how Moana is one of their favorite Disney characters of all-time,” Deadline said. “All this is very good considering this was a project originally conceived as a Disney+ series that the studio flipped to the big screen.”

The movie will feature voices from Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho. David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller will direct. Christina Chen and Yvett Merino will produce, and music will be performed by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Mark Mancina and Grammy nominee Opetaia Foaʻi.

The new movie’s summary reads: “Joined by Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.”

Movieguide® gave its 2016 predecessor, MOANA, a -1 review. Part of the review reads:

MOANA is a stunning movie from Disney Animation. It’s about a young girl on a Polynesian island 2000 years ago, who feels called out to the ocean, even though her people have given up ocean navigation long ago due to its many dangers. Moana has been chosen to be the next leader of her people, but her island is in danger. Their only hope is for Moana to venture beyond the reef, find the demigod Maui and convince him to return a miraculous stone to the heart of the island. Their adventure together will reveal who they really are.

MOANA is a definite crowd-pleaser, with incredible animation, catchy music and great character development. The voice performances are also superb. The movie contains strong moral elements promoting perseverance, kindness, self-sacrifice, courage, and humility. However, the story includes references to Polynesian mythology. Thus, a demigod is a major character, and there’s a reference to reincarnation. On the positive side, Moana has a strong desire to protect her people and follow her true calling. Caution is advised for children due to MOANA’s pagan mythology.

Per Nielsen, MOANA was the most streamed movie in 2023 on all streaming platforms.

MOANA 2 is set to hit American theaters Nov. 27.