Moana 2 left future movies of the franchise in the perfect position to dive deeper into Polynesian gods. While the first Moana movie certainly implied a variety of deities, Maui and Te Fiti were the only two in the spotlight. Moana 2 took this further, introducing new gods (good and bad) to play a role in Moana’s story. The film’s ending saw the Hero of Motunui go through a significant change, throwing the door wide open for the future. If Moana 3 becomes a reality, audiences will surely be introduced to a league of new Polynesian-god characters.

The story in Moana takes inspiration from the ancient stories, mythologies, and religions of the Pacific Islands and their various cultures. Maui himself comes straight from age-old Oceanian stories. He is a trickster folk hero and demigod, just as in Moana and Moana 2. Figures within the Moana movies like Te Fiti and Nalo don’t come directly from Polynesian mythology but are inspired by deities from Maori and other cultures. It can be expected that more such characters will be introduced in future Moana sequels, and Moana 2 sets this up flawlessly.

Moana 2 Set Up Moana 3 To Really Dive Into The History Of Polynesian Gods

Moana Is Sure To Meet More Gods & Demigods

At the end of Moana 2, Moana dived into the water to touch the island of Motufetū. She essentially sacrificed her life to do so, drowning in the depths to break Nalo’s curse and reunite the people of the ocean—the dozens of islands and unique cultures across the Pacific. This incredible action resulted in Moana being resurrected as a demigod. She got her own well-earned tattoo and is now a sort of wayfinding deity, ready for unique adventures as she heads into new Moana sequels. As she does this, Moana is sure to run into more gods and demigods.

As a demigod, Moana is essentially stepping into a whole new world. She is now on Nalo’s (the storm god) radar, and his servant (likely a demigod as well), Matangi, will surely be sent after Moana yet again. This opens the door to more gods getting involved as well. Te Fiti could make a return, but Moana is likely to be introduced to other figures. After all, each culture within Oceana has a long list of deities whose roots stretch back thousands of years. Disney, therefore, has many options from which to take inspiration, and this is an exciting prospect for Moana 3.

Moana 3 Emphasizing The Polynesian Gods Can Help Expand The Franchise

The Door Is Wide Open For A Broader Story

While many of the gods introduced in the first two Moana movies are creations of Disney, they take inspiration from the many cultures of Polynesia. There is room for creativity, but even better, there is a great deal of opportunity to spotlight the legends and stories that have been pᴀssed on for centuries upon centuries. The first Moana movie was a self-contained story with significantly less room to expand. However, by making Moana a demigod, Moana 2 has given Disney much more to work worth. With thousands of years of Polynesian legends to work from, the sky is the limit.

Moana 3 Can Still Explore Moana’s Humanity & Life On Motunui With Its God Focus

Moana May Be Split Between These Two Lives

A potential downside to Moana’s status as a demigod is that it somewhat disconnects her from her life on Motunui, which was a significant focus of the first Moana movie. This protagonist knew that she had a destiny beyond the horizon, but part of the lesson she learned in the 2016 movie was that her heart would always remain on Motunui with her family and people. Moana 2‘s story has pulled her a little further from this, and it seems that Moana will find further connections among the gods and demigods of the Pacific. Still, this isn’t to say that Moana’s humanity must be forgotten entirely.

Given the lessons of the first Moana movie, it seems likely that Moana 3‘s focus on deities will be balanced with Moana’s humanity and life on Motunui. She is a demigod, after all, not a god. She remains in a place somewhat between human and deity, and future movies in the franchise will have to explore what this means. Moana 2 emphasized that Moana and her sister would be together but in a new way. The hero’s true destiny had not been revealed. Moana 3 will have the job of taking this further. In all, this and more is just further evidence of the franchise’s exciting potential.