Moana Live-Action Movie Delayed, Toy Story 5 Gets Official Release Date

Disney decided to move the live-action version of Moana back a year and Toy Story 5 has a release date. This news comes from Deadline ahead of the CinemaCon presentation the company will hold in about a week. Moana's live-action debut was poised for June of next year and will now hit theaters on July 10, 2026. That isn't Disney's only shakeup here though. Toy Story 5 has been announced to hit theaters on June 19, 2026. So, if you're the parent of a young viewer, you might want to get your wallet ready now. It's been a wave of announcement for Disney following their triumph over Nelson Peltz and his activist investor cohort this week during the most recent 2024 shareholders meeting.

2024 sees Disney leaning even further into their catalogue of established IP for announcements. Today brought news of The Mandalaorian & Grogu movie getting a May 22, 2026 date. Tron: Ares is heading back to the grid later this year in October for a fall blockbuster as well. So, there's a whole lot of shuffling going on in the post WGA/SAG strike entertainment landscape. Disney is betting that some familiar faces will perk up the theatrical turnout as the year stretches onward. (Their hunch is right when you look at the performance of Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong recently.)

Moana 2 Still Coming This Year 

Fear not Pixar fans, Moana's sequel is still coming this year. An animated movie is still supposed to sail into theaters this Thanksgiving. Moana 2 was originally supposed to be a Disney+ project. But, the creative team felt strongly enough about the product that they decided to convert it into a theatrical release. So, the fever for the second-most streamed movie of last year is still on. However, Dwayne Johnson and his fellow stars are still excited for fans to see the live-action version of Moana a couple years from now.

"I'm deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen," Johnson said when the remake was first announced. "This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people's grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me. 

He added, "I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people."

Toy Story 5 Is A Priority For Disney

With Pixar's recent output, there has been a chance for a lot of stories that wouldn't have had a chance to be showcased. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger loves a franchise and thinks that leaning into those "core" offerings is the way forward. So, during an investor call last year, he touted Zootopia, Frozen and Toy Story sequels.

Iger began, "And today, I'm so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises: Toy Story, Frozen, and Zootopia. We'll have more to share about this production soon, but this is a great example of how we're leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises."

"And so, with that goal in mind, we will focus even more on our core brands and franchises, which have consistently delivered higher returns. We will aggressively curate our general entertainment content," he added. "We will reassess all markets we have launched in and also determine the right balance between global and local content. We'll adjust our pricing strategy, including a full examination of our promotional strategies."

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