Moana 2

 Movie Review: Moana 2

Back in 2016, Disney worked its animation magic and delivered the endearing film Moana. This week they went back to the well to deliver its sequel, Moana 2.  This time around, after receiving the call from her sea faring ancestors, Moana must assemble a crew and journey to the far seas of Oceania.  I again, hit the theater to check it out on the big screen.

Not surprising the animation and visuals are stunning. The colors and textures really leap off the screen.

 The world building both figuratively and literally works well. The expansion of cultural elements, myths/stories, and themes lend themselves to the storyline. The returning characters/actors are on point. I do wish, however, Moana and Maui reunited sooner. The pacing and direction are fine. Plenty of music including a couple of real bangers. 

All good, right?

Well, here's the thing. Moana 2 was originally conceived as a television series in 2020, with plans for the series to air on Disney+. In February 2024, the series was transformed into a theatrical sequel. A move I think caused Moana 2 to fall a bit short overall.  

All the beautiful animation and other positives aside, Moana 2 is watered down.  

The new characters are underdeveloped and definitely feel like they were meant to be explored and fleshed out over a longer period of time. The hour and forty-minute runtime don’t do justice for so many new characters. So, they’re sadly generic and don't add much depth to the story.

While the song offerings encompass something for various musical taste, their execution is uneven and many lack the spirit and “wow” factor. There's also a certain lack of cohesiveness to the score.

The humor is more hit and miss. Some of the running gags have grown stale. There are still good laughs to be had though. 

Moana 2 gives an overall impression of being a prequel or a series spinoff, especially given the mid credit sequence (stick around for that) than a full-fledged standalone film. But, given that Disney pivoted on this, it’s understandable. Speaking of Disney, fair warning, they do go dark and some of the action sequences get intense for younger/sensitive viewers. 

My take, while Moana 2 isn’t as inspired as the original, it is still a delightful and colorful adventure worth seeing on the big screen. The feels don’t run as deep, but they’re there and the film finished strong and left me curious and wanting more.

Moana 2 gets a 7 from me.

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