RATING: 2.5 out of 5
Disney’s “Moana 2,” the highly anticipated sequel to the 2016 animated hit, was released on Nov. 27 over Thanksgiving break. While the film is visually beautiful and the characters feel as familiar as ever, the sequel’s story falters and leaves the movie feeling lost in a sea of unfulfilled potential and recycled material.
The movie picks up after the first film in which Moana, voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho, saves her people from doom with the help of the demi-god Maui. Moana is now her island’s leader and wayfinder and she has become a legend, and her people are now idolizing her.
When she is called upon to break the curse on the island of Motufetu, she sets sail again with a rag-tag group of forgettable side characters. All of them feel like they are just there to have more marketable characters and their undeveloped stories seem like Disney is more focused on setting up a sequel and selling toys than making this one good. Dwayne Johnson’s Maui returns, though his once-refreshing humor feels somewhat reused here and the relationship between Maui and Moana is inverted from the first movie creating a new one where the maturity levels feel very weird, and Maui can come off as childish.
Visually, “Moana 2” is wonderful. The animation team pushes boundaries, offering breathtaking landscapes, and the most amazing water animation I have ever seen. The water is gorgeous and looks real during every scene. Whether it’s just a boat sailing in the water or a giant action set piece, the visuals never falter and consistently seem to expand the limits of animation quality.
But beneath the shimmering surface, the film’s narrative lacks the cohesion and emotional resonance of the original. The screenplay juggles too many themes like environmentalism, leadership, and intergenerational struggles. All of these underdeveloped ideas result in an overstuffed movie with a weak throughline. The movie was originally conceived as an Disney+ Moana TV series, but when Disney saw an opening in their winter film schedule, they reworked the show together into a feature film and that switch can sadly be felt in the film’s rough pacing.
The lack of Lin Manuel Miranda’s phenomenal music from the first film can be painfully felt throughout. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear’s songs simply don’t hold a candle to the originals and can range from forgettable to just bad imitations of the first movie’s songs. Even the film’s dialogue seems to recognize how much Miranda’s lyrics meant to the first with characters talking about “knowing the way,” “telling our stories,” and “how far we’ll go.”
One of the film’s most noticeable shortcomings is its handling of character development. While admirable, Moana’s journey feels less personal and more plot-driven this time. The stakes are high, but the story doesn’t give enough time to explore her internal struggles. Again, the episodic nature is apparent as conflicts appear but are just as soon resolved so the film can move on to the next.
All the conflict in the film just feels empty and makes the movie seem more like a series of vignettes loosely sewn together. Similarly, Maui’s arc, which was so integral to the first film’s success, feels sidelined, his presence reduced to a series of quips and convinces to get out of situations.
Despite these flaws, “Moana 2” is not without its merits. It remains a visually stunning piece of cinema with moments of humor and heart that will entertain younger audiences. Although the movie is not terrible, it’s not good either, and for fans of the original, the film may feel like a missed opportunity. It is an ambitious sequel that aims for the stars but doesn’t quite reach them.