I saw the first Moana movie pretty late, six years after its 2016 release, and I had a great time with it. The visuals are gorgeous and the songs are pretty memorable, so that’s the reason I was curious to check this out on the big screen.
Well, like the original, this movie is a visual feast. Animation technology has improved significantly in the last eight years and it shows. The lively animation of the vast ocean, lush islands, and detailed tropical elements brings the vivid world of Moana to life. I particularly love the look of the human characters, especially Moana herself (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) and the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), their expressive eyes and facial expressions are so adorable to watch. Moana’s precocious 3-year-old sister Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda) is such a scene-stealer and I love the sisterly bond between the two.
The first movie was full of heart and humor, with plenty of memorable tunes by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It set the bar high for the sequel and one would think this one would be a slam dunk given the solid groundwork is already in place. Alas, I don’t think Moana 2 captured the magic that made the first one so great. For one thing, the songs just aren’t as catchy, which is a big bummer from an animation studio known for memorable songs.
Instead of Miranda, the songs of the sequel were written by songwriting duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who gained fame from their 2021 TikTok series that evolved into the concept album, The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical. I’m not really familiar with their work, but their songs here don’t hold a candle to the timeless classics from another duo of songwriters, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty & The Beast, etc.) The best Disney tunes have more than just catchy melodies and lyrics; they carry an emotional weight that keeps them in our hearts for years, even decades later. I could barely remember even a single chorus from Moana 2.
The sequel also has a new directorial team: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller. While the animation is still amazing, the storyline feels like a rehash of the original. In the first movie, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a coastal village embarks on an adventure across the Pacific Ocean to protect her island from a looming ecological threat. Well, in this one, Moana embarks on another adventure after getting a call from her Wayfinding ancestors. She’s got a new crew on her mission and once again teams up with demigod Maui (Johnson). Most of the new characters (Hualalai Chung as Moni, Rose Matafeo as Loto) are forgettable, though the grumpy farmer Keke (David Fane) is pretty amusing. The funniest character is still Heihei the hapless chicken (voiced by Alan Tudyk).
While it starts engaging enough, the movie quickly loses its steam and doesn’t really gain much traction until the last part of the third act. I found the action to be overly frenetic to the point of being so dizzying that I had to close my eyes a few times. Rather than taking the time to develop the main characters, the directors just keep cranking out action scenes, creating a whirlwind of sensory overload. The stakes seem high on paper but it doesn’t come across on screen, Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) as the supposed ‘villain’ barely registers. The ending does wrap things up nicely for Moana in terms of her relationship with her people and ancestors, especially her late grandma, if only the rest of the movie had been as engaging.
I was just browsing the DisneyPlus the other day and saw a bunch of sequels to the classic princess animated movies like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, etc. that were made for direct-to-DVD release. This dull and uninspired sequel seems like nothing more than a cash grab for the Big Mouse House, especially since they’re already filming the live-action version for a 2026 release.
There were plenty of young kids at the screening I was at and they seemed to enjoy this movie. The nonstop hustle feels like a kiddie roller-coaster, so I guess the little ones will have a blast, but adults looking for a deeper story will likely find it lacking.
Have you seen MOANA 2? I’d love to hear what you think!
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Once I heard Lin Manuel-Miranda isn’t involved, that’s when I knew this was going to be trouble. I loved the songs from the first film as my niece and nephew watch that film all the time on Disney+. They love that movie. I don’t know if they will enjoy this. This is all the Crock’s fault. He’s become so overexposed and so full of shit, he had to put his hands on anything that was good and turn it to shit.
Yeah, I suppose Miranda was busy with MUFASA movie, so at least I know that one will have great songs!
Is Crock Dwayne Johnson? I presume that’s who you’re referring to. Yeah, I’m not that interested in his holiday flick Red One or the live-action Moana movie!
Yes, in fact. That was what Paul Levesque aka Triple H used to call him back in 1998 when he and DX made fun of the Crock and the Nation of Domination (though it was in blackface but it was still hilarious) as The Man w/ 3 Hs put on a fake raised eyebrow, sunglasses, a bad tan, a bad wig, and put duct tape on the coveted European title as the Intercontinental Championship. Yet, the reaction from the black wrestlers backstage was laughter including the members of the Nation of Domination. They had no problem with it. Today, it wouldn’t fly.
The Crock is not popular these days with the people. Wrestling fans are tired of him. Film buffs hate him. Critics glee at torching him. Yeah, it seems like the Brahma Bull has surrounded himself too much of his own bullshit.
Oh ok, I don’t follow wrestling at all so thanks for explaining that.
Yeah I think he drinks way too much of his own cool-aid, but somehow he manages to still make money so Hollywood keeps hiring him. I mean look at MOANA 2 breaking all kinds of records despite being a subpar movie.
I grew up on those direct to VHS Disney sequels lol. (I stand by The Lion King 2 being great though) I plan on taking my son, niece and nephew to this sometime this weekend, and I’m going in with very low expectations.
Ahah, I don’t think I’ve seen any of the Disney sequels, not even the princess movie ones even though I adored Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, etc. Well, if you’ve got little kiddos in your life, they would likely have a blast w/ MOANA 2.
I had no idea this one came out, I remember the first one a little bit since my then 2 year old little nephew loved watching it. And I saw online that they’re filming the live action version, so it’s basically all cash grab from Disney. The big wigs there don’t seem to want to create a lot of original contents these days. They have Marvel, Star Wars and their live version of their old animated films. Pixar is probably the only division under their umbrella that still making original ideas.
Yeah, the Big Mouse House has long lost its creative mojo and is now all about generating cash. It’s a bummer given it was founded as the beacon for creative imagination. Even Pixar doesn’t always hit the mark (i.e. Lightyear) but I sure hope they’d still champion original ideas!
Regardless, it will probably still make an insane amount of money for the Big Mouse House.
You’re correct about that, it’s making all kinds of record box office numbers this weekend. But then again, most kiddie movies are critics-proof.
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Sounds like a yawn to me. Too, bad about the music.
I’m sure the Mouse House, lol, will cash in, so they don’t need me.
Thanks for the review, Ruth!
(I did a TV movie for Disney, that’s still making $$$. The Cheetah Girls)
Yeah, I really expected more from Disney in terms of the music. I figured even if the story is so-so, the music can still carry the movie. Not the case with this one but clearly the kiddos don’t care as this movie made a boatload of $$$
Oh The Cheetah Girls! I haven’t seen that one, but I recognized Raven-Symoné from The Cosby Show. Must’ve been fun working on that movie!