By Darryl Yip
I always look forward to Disney’s animated feature films, which have become progressively
more diverse and world-representing, showcasing more than just European and white-centered
fairytale storylines. The original Moana (2016) introduced Polynesia to the Disney universe and
has become one of Disney’s biggest films, featured heavily in the Disney Parks and currently
Disney’s most-streamed film of all time with a remake along the way.
Despite that, I was shocked when Disney surprised us with Moana 2 earlier this year after they
decided to convert an in-production Disney Plus mini-series into a full-length film, because they
normally announce animated feature films years in advance. But given all of the pandemic-era
Disney animated feature films like Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, Strange World, and
Wish underperformed at the box office, it makes sense that Disney would reintroduce the world
to the already beloved characters of Moana, film franchise so powerful that it pushed forward
the release date of the other magic-filled musical, Wicked.
Moana 2 features Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) three years after the
first film in the fictional island of Motunui. Moana is an adult now and is braver as she now
mentors her young sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), who is as curious about the ocean as
baby Moana is in the first film. Moana gets a call from her ancestors including grandma Tala
(Rachel House) to save people of other islands, bringing new island members on her journey,
along with her pet pig Pua (Maui says, “Why didn’t you bring the pig last time?”) and pet
chicken Heihei which each get a lot more screen time.
Moana encounters some of the same characters from the first film like the Kakamora coconut army whose evil motives are hilariously revealed, as well as new characters deep in the ocean waters that also happen to sing, all to save the island in a typical climax that brings the crew together to defeat the god Nalo’s tornado and lightning powers.
For the most part, Moana 2 feels exactly like where it comes from: like a well-made mini-series
connected with common threads that is somewhat well put together, with the similar style and
storytelling as Disney Plus mini-series like Baymax! or Zootopia+ but slightly deeper and with a
tad bit more magic. The storytelling mirrors the original Moana, this time spending time
introducing the antics of the new characters at the cost of Moana’s and Maui’s character growth.
The new characters exist primarily to add humor and variety to Moana’s journey rather than
depth, and there seems to be more slapstick humor than the previous film, probably evidence that
it started as a mini-series. The film still has beautiful mythical scenery, often realistic and
sometimes abstract, and themes of family, trust, and unity that are common in Disney films.
Of course, Moana 2 wouldn’t be Moana without being a musical, but this time, Lin-Manuel
Miranda is largely absent, replaced with songs written by Mark Mancina, Opetaia Foa’i, Abigail
Barlow, and Emily Bear and whose names I cannot remember. The songs are not remotely as
catchy as the original classic’s “I want” song How Far I’ll Go or even the “village” song
Where You Are, and they all feel shallower and smaller compared to classic Disney songs.
Nonetheless, the songs are good enough that the completionist in me will still add the soundtrack
to my music library.
All in all, it’s hard to watch Moana 2 without comparing it to other recent Disney films. It’s better
than the watchable but forgettable Wish and Strange World but definitely worse than classics
Encanto, the original Moana, Zootopia, and Big Hero 6, and it ultimately falls along the ranks of
Raya and the Last Dragon, Frozen 2, and Ralph Breaks the Internet. It aims to please die-hard
fans of the original but doesn’t add much, and that might be all fans are looking for.
Moana 2 is directed by David Derrick Jr, Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, written by Jared
Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino. It arrives in
theaters this Thanksgiving weekend on November 27, 2024.
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