Moana 2, released on November 27th, follows Moana as she faces the evil god Nala, who has placed a curse on a magical island that can connect the entire ocean. Moana assembles a crew of villagers: Loto, Moni, and Kele to help her voyage through the sea, meeting friends and foes along the way
Although it was decently enjoyable, Moana 2 did not measure up to the storytelling and success of the first installment due to the inferior music, low stakes, and unnecessary characters.
Although Moana 2’s storyline fits nicely into her original arc, some of the pacing feels amiss. It takes too long for Maui and Moana to reunite, especially considering that their reunification was one of the movie’s main selling points.
The new characters felt out of place and a little useless, barely helping Moana and mostly just getting in the way. Moana’s ancestors are used as a common plot device: they appear many times and feel very overused.
Overall, there was a lack of sinister moments throughout, making the stakes seem low. You never see the true antagonist, except in the end credits, and that choice makes the events of this movie feel very low-pressure.
When it comes to the secondary villain, Matangi, in the trailer she is shown as an ominous and morally gray character that makes Moana question her beliefs. She is much more friendly and helpful in the actual movie, and she doesn’t feel menacing at all.
The lyrical music is weak at best, sounding generic and common. This can probably be attributed to the lack of Lin Manuel Miranda’s influence, who did the music in the first movie. There isn’t enough with only 16 songs compared to the original’s 40.
One of the best parts of the original Moana was the moving, emotional music. The lyrics and instrumentals of this movie evoke no emotion. The one time I felt connected to a song was when they remixed “We Know The Way” from the original film.
Maui has some funny moments that hit, but the rest of the comedy is sort of up in the air. Auliʻi Cravalho does a very good job as Moana, keeping the playful and determined spirit she displayed prior.
As far as animation, it was decent. They did great at representing unique villagers compared to the first film. The visuals were beautiful and the movie overall was very aesthetically pleasing.
In conclusion, Moana 2 was disappointing and inconsequential, especially compared to the impact of the first movie, earning 2.5 stars out of 5 from me. It did have an end credits scene that could set the franchise up for a third movie, so perhaps Disney will redeem themselves and Moana’s legacy in the future.
