Dwayne Johnson is set to act as producer for the film, via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions. His co-star in the 2016 animated film, Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the titular character, will executive produce with Scott Sheldon of Flynn Picture Co.. Believing she’s failed as a sailor, Moana declares that she is not fit for the sea and wishes to place her stone on the mountain.
\nThe lava monster strikes down to kill Moana, but Maui intervenes and uses his fishhook to block Te K\u0101’s blow. The wave created by the powerful impact drives Moana and Maui far from Te Fiti’s shores. After they recover, Maui confronts Moana on her recklessness, which severely damaged his fishhook. Maui refuses to return to Te K\u0101, instead suggesting they part ways, as all hope is lost with his fishhook in such critical condition. Moana stands her ground at the thought of backing down and tearfully tries to force him to stay, only to be met with rejection and coldness from Maui, who tells her the ocean “chose wrong” when it chose her.<\/p>\n
Maui begins to pull up Motufetu with his giant hook, but Nalo strips Maui of his demigod powers with a lightning bolt. Moana, in a moment of desperation, dives into the ocean to touch Motufetu underwater, but as she succeeds, Nalo’s lightning kills her. Maui jumps in after her body, and with a magical chant, summons the spirits of Tautai Vasa and Moana’s ancestors, including her grandmother Tala, who help revive her as a demigoddess, with Moana gaining a wayfinder’s tattoo. Maui, also regaining his powers as a demigod, finally raises Motufetu and helps Moana reconnect the people with the ocean.
\nHe claims the heart is cursed, something Moana refuses to believe until they fall under attack by a band of pirates called the Kakamora. The goddess revives the dying islands across the world, and restores Moana’s boat and Maui’s fishhook. Moana asks Maui to return home with her, but Maui gently declines, showing Moana a new tattoo on his body, inspired by her heroism. The two warmly embrace before Maui shape-shifts into a hawk and flies away.<\/p>\n
This resonates with Maui and gives him the courage to train in order to recover his power, under the guidance of Moana and Mini Maui (Maui’s sentient tattoo). Maui continues Moana’s mentoring in wayfinding, eventually turning her into a master navigator on par with her ancestors, though Maui contends that she may have surpassed them. The Kakamora crave the heart of Te Fiti’s power, but Moana stands her ground and fights back. Though Maui commends her on surviving, he still refuses to help return the heart.<\/p>\n
Moana was able to rescue Pua, but got her foot injured when it was stuck in some coral before she joined Pua in making it back to shore. When the Kakamora captured Heihei due to the chicken accidentally eating the Heart, Moana begged Maui to help rescue him, but the demigod refused, prompting Moana to rescue Heihei and recover the Heart herself. After escaping the Kakamora, Moana was able to persuade Maui into helping restore the Heart of Te Fiti by playing on his desires to be seen as a hero. Once Moana and Maui agreed to retrieve his magic fish hook first and later restore the Heart, they still had trouble getting along as Maui refused to teach Moana wayfinding and even when he was forced to by the Ocean, he was an apathetic teacher towards her. After successfully restoring the Heart of Te Fiti and saving Motunui, Moana began a new era of wayfinding where she was watched by her grandmother’s manta ray reincarnation, showing she was still being looked after by Tala through a different life form. The crew returns home to Motunui, leading a flotilla of the peoples of the ocean, and a celebration is held in Moana’s honor.<\/p>\n
She nevertheless escapes her cell while Tamatoa is distracted and uses a makeshift duplicate of Te Fiti’s heart to lure the crab’s attention away from Maui. This lively intelligent girl wants to do what’s right for her people, but she also needs to find out what’s right for her. Moana realizes Maui is no longer a hero since he stole the heart and cursed the world, and convinces him to redeem himself by returning the heart.<\/p>\n
She goes to her father and tells him what Tala told her, but he doesn’t listen and sees it as another excuse for her to leave the island. The franchise consists of two animated films, Moana (2016) and its sequel Moana 2 (2024), as well as a live-action remake adaptation of the 2016 film, scheduled to be released on July 10, 2026. Moana, realizing that Nalo is trying to stop humans from breaking the curse, asks Maui to lift Motufetu enough for her to touch it.
\nAlong the way, she meets the mighty demigod Maui\u2013together they cross the ocean on a fun-filled, action-packed voyage from Walt Disney Animation Studios. After returning the Heart of Te Fiti to the mother goddess, saving Motunui and every other island from dying, Moana returns home where she happily reunites with her mother. Later, when Moana becomes chief, she and her mother lead their people in voyaging across the seas where Moana teaches her mother how to tie ropes to the mast of a boat.<\/p>\n