Is it wrong to say I kept forgetting Moana 2 was coming out? Probably. However, that should be different when you look back at the 2016 original. The first Moana remains one of the best-animated films nearly a decade later, and I’d go as far as to say it was the last “great” animated Disney movie (outside of Pixar). One of the reasons for its enduring appeal is the relatable lead character, Moana, who resonates with audiences of all ages. A sequel, which is precisely eight years later, is the next logical step to expand on what other exciting adventures will take on the ocean. However, the downside is having a sequel aimed more at children and needs to come closer to recapturing the magic many felt prior.
What’s the Story: Three years have passed since we last saw Moana (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho), who has become a Wayfinder and navigates the ocean in search of other humans outside those from the island of Motunui. After finding an artifact that led her to a vision of her ancestors, she must embark on a new quest to find the hidden, mysterious island of Motufetu. Once touched, it can connect to other islands in the ocean. A bigger challenge Moana’s taking on, she enlisted a crew, including Leto (voiced by Rose Matafeo), Moni (voiced by Hualālai Chung), and Kele (voiced by David Fane), along with her pet pig and chicken, Pua and Heihei; they must work together to bring peace with the help of her old pal, the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) to not be defeated by the God Nalo.
The announcement of Moana 2 earlier this year came as a delightful surprise. Though what some might not know is it was originally planned as a limited Disney+ series. The unexpected shift to a potential theatrical release has piqued our interest. And in some way, you can tell this feels like it would’ve come from the era when Disney did straight-to-DVD/video sequels because they can. Compared to the first, where you’re hooked to see Moana’s journey, this new story here barely offers much excitement apart from having stakes during the climax. It has a structure that goes through every predictable route, such as the hero’s journey or the three-act structure, and the filmmakers (David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller) didn’t try to make it more imaginative when reintroducing and introducing characters to not grabbing onto the mission that doesn’t connect from being not too funny or stretched out to make it movie length.
But the element I knew wouldn’t disappoint was the creative team behind the animation. Whenever the first Moana is brought up in the conversation, I will always praise how beautiful it looks, especially the astonishingly realistic portrayal of the ocean. This attention to detail is just one example of the film’s overall stunning visual appeal. Even when I knew it wouldn’t stack up against the original, it was still the selling point to catch it in theaters. This also continues to have outstanding voice work from both Cravalho and Johnson. Cravalho continues to make Moana a fearless heroine young girls can look up to, and it helps that most of the heart of the sequel comes from whenever she shares a cute bond with her adorable little sister Simea (voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda). Johnson still carries that same charisma when voicing Maui. The problem is that because they worked so well the first time, they aren’t seen together until the second act.
You care for Moana and Maui but don’t share the same feelings for any supporting characters. The crew she chose to help her out on the water will remind you of the team from Lightyear (not exactly a good thing), where they all have certain traits that come into play: Leto loves to build but will cause damage to the raft; Moni is strong and is a huge Maui stan, and Kete is an old farmer who doesn’t want to be there. They felt unimportant to care about and the movie wouldn’t make much of a difference if they took them out. That’s also said about Matangi (voiced by Awhimai Fraser), a goddess who traps Maui inside an enormous clam and gets her own song, but you quickly forget about her right until the end when I thought she was going to be the villain.
With the soundtrack being a major contributing factor to the original, it worried me that Lin-Manuel Miranda wouldn’t be part of this since he’s writing the music for Mufasa: The Lion King. The new songs, unfortunately, were just okay. Abigail Barlow & Emily Bear of “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical” fame were tasked to make them catchy enough to listen to on repeat, and aside from maybe “Beyond,” the rest doesn’t hold a candle to the first’s music despite how talented of a singer Carvalho is. Nothing came close to being the Oscar-nominated “How Far I’ll Go” or attempt to get me teary-eyed like “I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)” to be memorable standouts? Even Maui’s new song “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” proves Johnson doesn’t have the strongest singing chops and it’s nowhere as great as “You’re Welcome.” It’s about on par with the Frozen II music, except that it was a bit better.
Although the developments near the end have piqued my interest, particularly in the potential for a third installment, I can’t help but hope for a more engaging experience than what Moana 2 offered. As someone who anticipated this to be one of the studio’s standout films, especially after the disappointments of both Strange World and Wish, I found it to be a step up from those two. However, it seems to cater more to a younger audience this time. I’d still choose to rewatch this over the unnecessary live-action remake that nobody asked for.
Overall, Moana 2 is an adventurous return for its target audience, but adults feel they want more than a fine Disney sequel. The storytelling is nothing to ride home about, yet it doesn’t detract from the stellar animation that’s visually pleasing and committed voice work. It wasn’t a huge surprise for this to be a massive hit during the Thanksgiving holidays, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2024, but it should’ve been right up there with the first.
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