Disney’s 2010s era offered many solid hits that served as a good reminder of what kind of family-friendly wonder the famed studio could offer, following a previous decade that featured more of a mixed bag of entries. Moana was one of their strongest efforts, and along with being a hit, the fact that it’s been continually the most-watched movie on Disney+ since its launch in 2019 meant delivering a follow-up was inevitable. With that said, after a long period of Disney holding off from releasing theatrical sequels, Moana 2 feels, once again, like the other shaky Disney sequels of late. Visually, the films are a triumph, but despite the freedom to draw any number of paths, there’s a lack of heft to help the movie reach the emotional heights of the original while expanding things wide enough to hint that there’s still more to come.
Set three years after the first film’s events, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is searching the islands for other tribes. Upon finding some evidence, Moana returns home and is essentially tasked by her wayfinding ancestors to locate a hidden island. She then forms a crew and sets out to sea, eventually reuniting with the shapeshifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to accomplish this goal, engaging in new adventures along the way. This includes confrontations with the elements as well as an underworld goddess, Matangi (Awhimai Fraser).
See Also: ‘Inside Out 2’ Review: More Emotions, Less Feels
It’s no secret that Disney had been developing a Moana series before scrapping that plan and turning what they had into this feature-length sequel. It’s somewhat unfortunate news to have become so widespread, as it’s hard not to look at this movie and mentally try and figure out how that would have worked compared to the 100-minute film we have here. Younger audiences and those not predisposed to learning this stuff won’t care, but I can at least say Moana 2 looks like a big-screen musical adventure.
Not unlike the first film, there’s some beautiful craft on display in the realm of 3D animated movies that come from the tools and high budgets Disney gets to work with. Moana 2 is a very colorful adventure, and it makes sure to take advantage of the setting. We get wonderful ways to show off the water effects throughout, along with creative virtual camerawork to keep the action moving, highlight the scale of what’s taking place, and have fun with these characters interacting with their environments.
More questionable is how the story and music come into play, which are naturally major elements of what one needs to get right for a film like this to work and have lasting value. Regarding the story, it’s easy to see how one breaks up this plot into several episodes. That would be more forgivable if it made no real difference for the film, but Moana 2 does have an issue of ramping up in momentum before slowing back down again.
The first film offers plenty of discoveries regarding Moana’s encounters with new characters and her understanding of the lore regarding her people. This film settles on an intriguing story, but it’s more of an expansion of the first film’s general thrust instead of something entirely new. As a result, with only so much progress made every 20 minutes, the various plot beats don’t offer the same excitement as we go along.
The soundtrack is another story. The first film featured the work of Lin-Manuel Miranda, who received an Oscar nomination for his troubles. This time, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear have replaced Miranda (who chose to work on the upcoming Mufasa instead). While their intentions are fine, this does feel like a notable changeup that comes up lacking. Offhand, songs like “How Far I’ll Go,” “You’re Welcome,” “We Know the Way,” and “Shiny” felt like instant hits to latch onto. By comparison, this sequel offers decent enough music to allow the film some fun breaks, but “Beyond” and “We’re Back,” among others, don’t feel like they’ll receive the same sort of sing-a-long play for anyone outside of the diehards.
All of this is to say that it’s not as though these are subpar efforts necessarily, but by comparison, there’s a certain level of Disney magic that is not quite hitting the same way. That’s a bit of a shame, as the film is entertaining. Cravalho continues to provide a strong lead vocal performance. Johnson is somewhat limited in presence here but does enough to add solid support. If anything, I liked that there was more of a human presence this time. Hualālai Chung and Rose Matafeo are fun additions to Moana’s crew. Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda is adorable as Moana’s little sister, Simea.
The problem seems to be a lack of stronger focus on developing a follow-up story that can serve as a one-and-done adventure instead of something that suggests a broader universe. Understandably, that’s how franchising is these days. Still, as evidenced by the making of Frozen II, it’s very apparent when there’s less confidence in what singular story is trying to be told in favor of using a sequel as a launching point for more. Moana 2 is strong enough simply because of the kind of fun these movies want to have (I’m not sure if that has to do with a lack of love interests, but the empowered adventure focus is welcome). However, one still wishes more was done to solidify a tight narrative.
With all of this in mind, there’s a mostly fun, colorful journey on display here, with enough highlights and humor to make it worthwhile. It may not have weighty emotional elements (although the climax of Moana wasn’t that film’s strongest section either), but it still does work as a movie. I wish it felt more challenging, but the heart still feels like it’s in the right place, with many creatives doing the work to deliver something visually splendid. So, Moana 2 does find its way; I just wish it was shinier.
Moana 2 opens in theaters on November 27, 2024.
