Moana 2 is an entertaining and gorgeously animated experience, but one that needed a little further development from its Disney+ roots.
Eight long years later and Moana is finally back for more ocean commotion. Moana introduced us to the Motunui chieftain’s daughter, chosen by the Ocean to save her village and restore the goddess Te Fiti to her rightful and re-empowered state. Moana 2 builds from this legacy, sending the heroine on a journey away from her thriving village to discover a lost island and other communities.
It’s a thematic continuation that makes sense from the first, with beautiful animation, charming new characters, and some memorable songs. At the same time, the film suffers from underdeveloped character arcs, plotlines, and antagonistic forces, making for a Disney outing that’s fun in the moment but ultimately less memorable than its predecessor.
Moana 2 continues the story of Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho), once again seeking to save her people. This time the threat isn’t an agricultural problem, but the interruption of a ceremony by the intrusion of lightning and visions of her ancestors. She’s sent on a journey to find a mythical lost island in order to unify other peoples in adjacent lands, long separated by the human-hating god Nalo, who has cursed said central island.
She reunites with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and a crew of islanders, including innovative shipbuilder Loto (Rose Matafeo), grumpy gardener Kele (David Fane), and Moni (Hualālai Chung), an uncomfortably big fan of Maui and Moana. She has to brave the seas and Nalo’s obstacles to find her destiny as a Wayfinder and reconnect the peoples of the various lands.
Originally slated for a Disney+ premiere before being retooled for the big screen, Moana 2 looks gorgeous in a theatrical setting. Supernatural effects and larger-than-live threats (like a clam the size of an island) are beautifully designed, and quite a few musical numbers capture the energy of the original.
Moana’s new compatriots are charming additions, with Rose Matafeo’s Loto bringing a wonderfully frantic energy that contrasts well against David Fane’s testy elder. Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda shines as Moana’s little sis Simea, and Simea and Moana have a wonderful chemistry together that comes through the animation.
The narrative isn’t that different from the former, as both are animated by Moana’s reasons to travel beyond island shores and toward the horizon. The sequel’s narrative, however, is often a little too convenient for its own good. Moana’s visions send her toward an island to find the linkage uniting the region’s separated peoples, except the vision’s warnings and instructions are remarkably vague.
Travel the seas and unite the people for… reasons. Doom will come if you don’t, because reasons! We can infer that Nalo’s dangerous opposition, but it’s insufficiently developed why, so audiences have to guess. Moana’s path conveniently allies her with the Kakamora, who conveniently sent her on a quest uniting her with Maui, where she conveniently meets the powerful Matangi (well played by Awhimai Fraser), all links in a chain that flows too easily. In the first, the Ocean had agency and directed moments of convenience like these; here it’s primarily luck and circumstance.
The new characters are smart additions, although generally under-explored with underdeveloped arcs (to the extent that arcs exist at all). Simea’s adorable but outside the main narrative. Loto’s engaging but underdeveloped as a character. Matangi is a fascinating addition with a thinly implied backstory, but she doesn’t fit well into this story.
Finally, Nalo is probably a dangerous threat, one who wants humanity separated and disempowerd because something something power, something hatred… we don’t spend nearly enough time with Nalo for the angry deity to make sense (and it’s kind of odd that they receive no help from Te Fiti in this struggle, to any degree, at all). In the finale, Moana and crew mainly interact with the god’s effects rather than the deity himself, which in the moment feels like a let down as Disney keeps the antagonist in reserve for a possible sequel of some kind.
The songs themselves are a mixed bag. “We’re Back” is a cute introduction to reintroduce us to the village, while “Beyond” is a lovely vocal showcase for Auli’i Cravalho. “Get Lost” is well sung by Moana newcomer Awhimai Fraser, and the animation surrounding it is engaging, but it’s not necessarily one you’ll leave humming to yourself, while “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?” reveals Dwayne Johnson’s vocal limitations. The Disney archive is full of tracks that fuel life-long memories; there aren’t many such tracks to be found, here.
Altogether, Moana 2 is an entertaining and gorgeously animated experience, but one that clearly needed a little further development from its Disney+ roots to come anywhere near its excellent predecessor. Greater development of supporting characters, stronger internal logic, and an inciting incident that feels more necessary and motivated would deepen the story and its weight.
Most curiously is the choice to build up an antagonist that’s entirely left in reserve, depriving the sequel of the gravitas and high-stakes spectacle of many of Disney’s best efforts. It’s fun and vibrant, but one can’t escape the feeling that a number of excellent ideas hit the cutting room floor to fuel a third entry, not because it’s best for this story.
Rating: 7 out of 10
About Moana 2
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” reunites Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers.
After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.
Moana 2 comes to theaters on November 27.
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Jeff Ewing is a critic, entertainment journalist, interviewer, and screenwriter in LA with a life-long love of horror and film history. He’s been writing about horror and sci-fi film and TV for fifteen years, with bylines in Collider, Inverse, Slashfilm, Looper, The Playlist, Forbes, and elsewhere, alongside contributions in a number of Pop Culture and Philosophy books. He also founded, hosts, and produces the monster podcast Humanoids from the Deep Dive, which digs into the history, themes, and meanings behind favorite monsters and monster movies/TV series.
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