Review: Moana 2
Animated sequel waters down the franchise.
Neither a cheaply stitched-together brand deposit – as its origins as a Disney+ series might suggest – or a Toy Story 2-level pivot to greatness, Moana 2 is a perfectly adequate animated adventure that will pacify the kids. It’s fine, but I can’t imagine a single person choosing this over the original.
The film picks up a few years after the first. Moana is now a celebrity in her isolated island tribe, with a group of “Moana-bees” copying her fashions and the young kids eager to hear about her adventures with demigod Maui. Moana receives a vision from her ancestors, calling her to find the buried island of Motufeto, which has been hidden as a curse from the god Nalo, isolating the ocean people. She sets sail with a ragtag group to find the island – hopefully with a little help from Maui, who’s being held captive by a mysterious witch1.
The final film from legendary Disney directors John Musker and Ron Clements, 2016’s Moana was a highlight in the studio’s princess resurgence. It didn’t stray far from the template – in which a plucky young woman defies her family’s expectations to go on a journey, aided by comic relief sidekicks, and discovers her calling – but was buoyed by catchy songs, eye-popping animation, sharp humor and a fantastic lead performance from Auli’l Cravalho. It was noteworthy for being the rare Disney animated film without a romance or a traditional villain, ending its conflict on a surprisingly sweet emotional turn rather than a cliché fight sequence. It stands alongside Tangled, Frozen and Encanto as a recent Disney classic.
But fairy tales, by definition, don’t lend themselves well to sequels; it feels like a cheat to pick the story up again once you’ve had “happily ever after.” Where Frozen II attempted to bring some more depth to its characters and complicate its fantasy world, Moana 2 just plays the sequel game of “second verse, same as the first.” If the character’s big challenge in the first was to see “how far I’ll go,” the sequel just asks “well, could you go a little farther?”
My worry when this made the transition to theatrical from a Disney+ series was that the film would feel episodic and cheap, fears that were largely unfounded. The film is as gorgeously animated as any recent Disney theatrical film, with its colors popping off the screen and the water rendered so realistically, you might worry that you’re sitting in a splash zone. The action sequences are exciting, and its comedic moments move with a cartoon energy that some of the more serious-minded Disney animated movies lack. Moana 2 looks as good as any Disney movie has in a long time, although I suppose I’ll always feel that the 3D-animated humans look plastic, like dolls you could stop and buy on your way home (this might be intentional). I will continue to wonder what the Moana films would look like if they had the watercolor backgrounds and hand drawn artistry of Lilo and Stitch.
The story never feels like three episodes of a TV show crammed together, but it never escapes feeling like an overly complicated rehash of the first film. It hits many of the same beats – Moana leaves her family, sets sail, gets into hijinks, has a crisis and then (spoiler) overcomes the conflict – but it lacks the emotional resonance of the first film.
In Moana, the character was drawn to forbidden adventure and searching for her identity. In Moana 2, there’s no such conflict. She’s Moana, she’s a leader and even her eventual crisis of confidence feels perfunctory. The plot is meandering – there’s a detour inside a giant clam that is visually fun, but I still don’t quite understand why the film heads there or what’s the deal with the sea witch. The god Lalo is never a real threat; just an angry cloud and some lightning, and the film misses the emotional power of the first’s climax. The story tries to shake things up by giving Moana a crew of her fellow islanders, and while they’re good for a few chuckles, they never form characters beyond “the old one,” “the smart one” and “the Maui fanboy.” There are a few musical numbers, but the film misses the inventiveness and energy of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s contributions to the first; aside from a bouncy and colorful number with the sea witch, every song feels like a watered-down version of the much better work from the first film.
Dwayne Johnson is still a lot of fun as Maui, drawing laughs from his over-confidence and swagger. And Cravalho continues to be a bright spot in the Disney universe, with an infectious joy and optimism. The two have strong vocal chemistry, and their friendship is the heart of the movie. They deserve a better story to carry that relationship.
I’m sure kids will enjoy Moana 2; my daughter certainly did, although even she conceded quickly that she didn’t like it nearly as much as the original. I’m sure it will make a lot of money and we’ll get a Moana 3 – the credits set it up as a way to wave off some dropped plot threads. And, of course, there’s a live-action version of the story currently filming. Disney gonna Disney. But while the studio has dropped much worse in recent years – I’m looking at you, Wish – it needs to push past the brand management to find something fresh again. Moana may want to see how far she’ll go; I think she’s gone far enough. Let’s explore some new waters.
Witch might not be the right term, but I don’t know how else to describe this character, who’s originally depicted as a giant threat and then dropped entirely from the story halfway through. She has fangs and hangs out with bats…maybe she’s a sea vampire? We’ll stick with witch through this review.