Moana 2 Production Babies: Bold Cosmo, Popular Mia, Traditional Max

With a very special thank you to Angel Brave, let’s review the Moana 2 production babies list!

WHAT ARE PRODUCTION BABIES?

Ever since the very first Pixar movie, Toy Story, debuted in 1995, the studio has followed a fascinating tradition. Disney adopted the tradition, as did plenty of other animation studios over time.

They’ve listed the names of any babies born to the staff responsible for the movie in that film’s credits.

Those names appear at the very end, under the heading Production Babies. Because, well, these babies arrived during the movie’s creation.

After all, animated movies take a long time – sometimes years – to go from early concept to finished product. And the team involved with the process is big, big enough to guarantee at least a few new arrivals. If your family grows while you’re focused on a movie, well, inevitably you’ll think of Frozen 2 or Turning Red as part of those memories.

Obviously, Snow White didn’t have a list of Production Babies.

So it’s a new(ish) phenomenon, but still widespread.

Pixar alone has 28 lists of Production Babies under its belt – and counting. 2024‘s Inside Out 2 was the studio’s 28th feature film, meaning over 1,000 births have been celebrated this way.

Despite sharing the names, the end credits aren’t exactly birth announcements. They don’t share gender, date – or even year – of birth, or the parent’s role on the film. A handful of lists might note twins. Occasionally, if two Production Babies share a first name, the initial of their surname (presumably) is also included.

Past commenters have confirmed that parents decide how their children’s names appear. A name listed as Ellie, for example, might be short for something, or not – but we only know what the parents choose to share.

But that really doesn’t take away from the sheer delight of getting a peek at the creative teams behind our favorite films choose for their new arrivals.

ABOUT THE MOVIE MOANA 2

First, a fun naming fact: Moana’s name changes in certain markets. Sometimes she’s Vaiana, and in other places, the character is renamed Oceania.

Warning: Mild Spoilers Ahead

The story takes place three years after the original. Moana explores other islands near her home, trying to find others who are still exploring. She learns that she’ll never succeed, unless she can raise a legendary island called Motufetu. And if she doesn’t raise the lost island? Her people will also suffer.

As it happens, the demigod Maui is also searching for Motufetu, for reasons of his own. The Kakamora coconut-pirate guys are back, too, as are Hei Hei and Pua, our heroine’s pet chicken and pig.

They face off against a scary villain named Nalo, as well as a punishing storm, impossible odds, and all sorts of other obstacles.

But it’s a Disney movie, so there’s a happy ending.

There’s also a potential set-up for Moana 3. Or possibly a streaming series – after all, the 2024 movie was originally imagined as a Disney Plus production.

MOANA 2 PRODUCTION BABIES: THE LIST

1. ALWYN
2. AMITY
3. ANDREW MATTHEO
4. ARLO
5. ASTER
6. BAILEY
7. BRAELYN
8. CASPIAN
9. CASSIAN
10. CLAY
11. CLEO
12. CONNOR
13. COSMO
14. DARA
15. ELIZA
16. ELLIE
17. ELSIE
18. EMMA
19. GURREN
20. GUSTAVO
21. HANA
22. HOWARD
23. ISABEL
24. JESHWIN
25. KAYLEE
26. LEO
27. LOȈC
28. MACKENZIE
29. MADDOX
30. MARGO
31. MARINA
32. MARK
33. MAX
34. MAXINE
35. MIA
36. MICHAEL
37. NADINE
38. OLIVE
39. OLIVER
40. PEPPER
41. PEYTON J.
42. PRAASHI
43. REFR ÓSKAR
44. RILEY J.
45. RILEY M.
46. RINOA
47. ROBERT
48. ROHAN
49. ROSE AVERY
50. ROWEN
51. RUTH
52. SIMON
53. STEVIE
54. VIEN MINH
55. WILLOW
56. WESLEY
57. YAZHINI

ABOUT THE MOANA 2 NAMES

CLASSICS AND CURRENT FAVORITES

Most Moana 2 production babies’ names would be at home on any kindergarten class list in the US.

We’ve been hearing boys’ names like Connor, Maddox, and Rowen for years. Michael, Robert, Mark, and Max all fall somewhere on the current-to-classic continuum.

Clay is a little bit surprising, but it tracks with every trend right now. That bright A sound, the nature name vibe, a colorful image. It’s just that Clayton peaked around the year 2000; just Clay, back in the 1960s. But it still feels like a very current choice.

On the girl’s side, Willow is the nature name equivalent of Clay.

Kaylee and Mackenzie have been in heavy use for years – long enough that plenty of women with those names are now young adults.

Marina, too, had a moment in the 1990s. Though it’s more of a traditional, pan-European choice. And it’s really too perfect for a more about a seafaring heroine, isn’t it?

Current favorites with a certain timeless appeal include Eliza, Ellie, Elsie, and Emma.

Olive and Oliver are unstoppable. (Though the long-time #1 name in this micro-category, Olivia, isn’t on this particular list of production babies.)

VINTAGE GEMS and STYLE STARS

Ruth and Margo are rising use, vintage names that have made a comeback.

The boys’ equivalents are Leo, Wesley, and Arlo.

Amity has never been especially popular, but it feels rich with potential. And there’s no better meaning.

Let’s call Simon and Howard offbeat traditionals. I’m getting a heavy Big Bang Theory vibe here, but of course that’s coincidence. (Simon Helberg played Howard Wolowitz on the hit sitcom for a dozen seasons.) They’re both unexpected choices that should wear well.

Could Nadine be making a comeback? It’s a French name related to Nadia, reminiscent of Josephine and Maxine. It ultimately comes from a Slavic name meaning hope.

UP AND COMING CHOICES

Margo/t is back, and Cleo – a little bit vintage glam, a little bit upbeat O-ending choice – isn’t far behind.

Maxine seems like a possible successor to Josephine, with Max joining Alex and Charlie as reliable unisex nicknames names.

Speaking of unisex, Stevie – powered by the legendary Stevie Nicks and a character on beloved sitcom Schitt’s Creek – is the new Charlie/Frankie/Billie. Except that Billie is still the new Charlie, so … let’s just say there’s a long list of names in this category to consider.

How ’bout the boys? The list includes two C-s-ian names, both linked to a fictional character. And both Caspian and Cassian are trending.

UNISEX NAMES (MAYBE)

There’s nothing new here, but lots of Moana 2 production babies answer to familiar, reliably unisex favorites. The list includes Bailey; Riley J. and Riley M.; as well as Peyton J. There’s only one Peyton listed, so I wonder if the J. indicates that Riley and Peyton are twins – or even siblings? Word is that development officially started late in 2020, so there’s plenty of time for a family to welcome not one, but two children – maybe.

I’m also intrigued by Dara. It’s masculine on paper, with Persian, Irish, and Khmer roots. But it’s almost exclusively used for girls in the US – though the numbers are shifting slightly. Back in the 1970s and 80s, it fit with Cara and Tara. Today? It’s surprisingly distinctive.

SPARE SPELLINGS

Two names surprise mostly because of their spellings: Hana and Isabel.

Isabel is more typically spelled Isabelle, but it’s the same name.

Hana, on the other hand, could be a slimmed-down version of Hannah. Or it might be an Arabic, Japanese, or Korean name with a different origin and meaning.

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Every animated film tends to draw from an international pool of talent. In turn, that leads to production babies with a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

But the Moana 2 production babies list is an absolute feast! I’m making my best guesses about origin/meaning for some of these, as they’re obscure in American English and finding reliable information isn’t always possible.

• Gustavo, the romance language form of Gustav.
• Loïc, a form of Louis used in Brittany and France
• Rohan, a Sanskrit name meaning ascension, though Tolkein also uses the name.
• Yazhini – A Tamil name meaning something like “sweet like the sound of a string instrument.” That’s absolutely gorgeous!

RARITIES AND EXCITING FINDS

The international influence is apparent in this section of the list, too.

There’s Gurren. I thought it might have a Sanskrit root, but now my best guess is a borrowing from Gurren Lagann, an anime television series. Except Gurren isn’t a character name at all. Guren is a Japanese word referring to the color crimson, so it fits with Scarlett and Rowan.

Gurren can also be a surname, one with Irish or German roots. So … there’s a lot there, and the name is so rare that there’s really no way to guess.

It just get more interesting from there!

Rinoa seems to come from the video game Final Fantasy VIII. Word is that it comes from an Irish word meaning queen, or possibly the Japanese translation of Lenore, which I can almost kinda-sorta hear.

Then there’s Jeshwin, which feels like a mystery. Jeswin is sometimes listed as Telugu, and sometimes Sanskrit. But … Telugu is not a Sanskrit language. (It’s from the Dravidian family, which is influential and widely spread across South Asia. But completely outside my wheelhouse.) The internet suggest it can be mean gift of God, or winner, or possibly refer to the Lord Shiva. It’s also a cool, current sound that works well in English.

Praashi is also – most likely – an Indian given name, this time from Sanskrit. The internet suggests three possible meanings: praise, adoration, or a ray of light.

Next up: Alwyn. My immediate thought: Joe Alwyn, the English actor who happens to be Taylor Swift’s ex. It’s also the name of a river in Wales, and it’s a Welsh name. It fits nicely with so many names now, from Allison to Elowyn. Still, it’s not necessarily a girl’s name. The -yn spelling is typically masculine in Welsh.

There’s a trio of cool nature names:

• Aster, a flower, the name borrowed from the Latin word for star
• Cosmo, a flower – and the entire universe
• Pepper, spicy and sparky

A surprise on this list: double names. A total of four children were listed by firsts combined with middles:

• Andrew Mattheo
• Rose Avery
• Vien Mihh, a Vietnamese name means “complete” and “bright.” It’s probably masculine, but possibly not.
• Refr Óksar, comes from an Old Norse name meaning fox, paired with the reliable Oscar. It’s a surprising choice, seldom heard in Scandinavia.

There you have it! All the production babies from Moana 2, including the familiar and the truly different.

Do you have any favorites from the Moana 2 production babies?