Disney Animation Announces 'Moana' [FIRST LOOK PHOTO] 'Frozen' Studio's 56th Animated Movie Hitting Theaters In 2016

Disney Animation Studios has churned out some great blockbuster hits over a number of years now, so when this week the production team announced the newest title, Moana, would hit theaters in 2016, we know that a lot of fans got excited! This title will follow the recently announced Zootopia, hitting theaters in 2016 as well, serving as the follow-up to last year's incredibly successful Frozen.

The announcement about Moana, of course, came on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. We were also treated to a great first-look image of the 2016 feature, thanks to a tweet from the company. Check it out right here:

We're thrilled to announce Moana, our 56th animated feature film coming to theatres late 2016! pic.twitter.com/S8x1KkJwYh

— Disney Animation ●—● (@DisneyAnimation) October 20, 2014

According to a previous description from Bleeding Cool back in 2013, Moana is "an epic, or even mythic, adventure set around 2000 years ago and across a series of islands in the South Pacific. The lead character, Moana Waialiki is the only daughter of a Chief in a long line of navigators. She's really a bit of nerd, but a nerd about sea voyaging, and when her family need her help, she sets off on an epic journey. Some of the other characters are demi-gods and spirits drawn from real mythology."

This article about this movie stated that Moana would be released in 2018. It looks like that release date has officially been moved up two years, which is very exciting. Expect this movie to hit theaters in the fall, with Zootopia coming to the big screen in March of 2016.

Here's the official description of Zootopia (via Slash Film):

In the animal city of Zootopia, a fast-talking fox who's trying to make it big goes on the run when he's framed for a crime he didn't commit. Zootopia's top cop, a self-righteous rabbit, is hot on his tail, but when both become targets of a conspiracy, they're forced to team up and discover even natural enemies can become best friends. In theaters in 2016.