“Moana 2” Fails to Supersede its Predecessor

The year 2024 seems to be the year of sequels, and this is likely because film studios finally understood that once a film is good and draws the right crowd to the cinemas the first time, the same magic might  work the second time.

But not all films need a sequel; the first time should be the only time it’s on the big screen, and “Moana 2” is a prime example of that.

To the ordinary eye, it looks like a fun film that continues the lead character Moana’s (Auli’i Cravalho) high-sea journey and daring adventures, but a cursory look will reveal that several things aren’t right with the film.

Before this review dives into them, “Moana” was released eight years ago, so there’s a need for a refresher course on what happened in the first film.

In “Moana,” we were introduced to an adventurous young girl living on the Polynesian island of Motunui. Her people worship the goddess Te Fiti who is said to have created life and harmony across the ocean. The mischievous demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) steals her heart (literally) and this leads to darkness across the island. Maui’s theft further awakens Te Ka, a lava monster that threatens to exterminate the people.

Moana has always had a natural relationship with the ocean, so despite her father’s counsel, she sets sail across the high seas on a mission to save her people. She finds and befriends Maui, and they restore Te Fiti’s heart. They further discover that the revered goddess is Te Ka; she transformed into the heartless monster because of her inability to access her heart.

But with “Moana 2” the film  takes a different route from the first film and focuses on the teenage version of Moana. Set three years after the first film, she’s all grown up now and goes on high-sea adventures alone. The people of Motunui are thriving, but Moana believes that beyond the island are more people like them.

She receives a vision from her ancestor Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), who explains that a malicious storm god named Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i) disconnected the peoples of various islands via sinking Motufetu—the legendary island that connects all people. Vasa further warns that if Moana doesn’t revive Motufetu, the Motunui people will go extinct.

Moana brands this her next mission, and this time, she assembles a new crew—the historian and Maui fanatic Moni (Hualalai Chung), the craftswoman Loto (Rose Matafeo), the elderly farmer Keke (David Fane), and of course, earlier animal crew members Heihei (Alan Tudyk) and Pua. On their journey, Moana reunites with Maui, who has been up to no good. He was briefly imprisoned by Nalo as payback for an offense but was able to escape.

Moana, Maui, and the crew discover the truth about Nalo and seek to stop him. Because of her heroism, Nalo briefly kills Moana via a lightning bolt. However, a congregation of her ancestors revives her—including her grandma—who is aware that her purpose on this earth is not yet complete.

Moana eventually returns home to her island—with the new people she found.

“Moana 2” shines in not making the titular character a static one; Moana displays exemplary character development. In the first film, she’s a young girl on a journey of self-discovery, but in “Moana 2” she’s a big sister and a leader to, not just her people, but her crew. She proves herself dependable, reliable, and always willing to put the needs of her family and people ahead of her own. She constantly puts her life in danger for their sake, and it’s beautiful to see her come up from a curious child to a strong woman in the making.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see her be appointed Chief in her father’s place in the third Moana film (Yes, it’s in the works at Disney).

Moana’s crew also adds color to the film’s rather simplistic plot. Moni is a curious historian who has  never been on an adventure before, but is longing to tell his own story and not the stories of others. Loto is the talkative craftswoman whose knack for building and science saves the crew from dangerous situations. The grumpy Keke adds humor to the narrative with his sarcasm and unwillingness to participate in any crew activity that’ll lead to them being lost at sea. Despite Keke’s best attempts, Heihei, the chicken, and Pua, the pig, outshine him in the humor department. Their antics, which often put the crew in trouble, elucidates the most laughs in theaters.

Credit should go to the animators who worked tirelessly to bring this film to life. It’s visually stunning and far better than the animation quality of the first film. The ocean in particular is more dynamic and expansive than ever, and the waves crest and fall with fluid elegance. The final scene where Moana and her crew battle Nalo in the turbulent ocean s a pure example of just how the vast blue is made a living character in the film.

One thing the “Moana” films have always done is highlight the rich heritage of Polynesian culture. Disney always conducts extensive research to ensure that the story, visuals, and themes are deeply rooted in the ways of the Pacific Islands.

The characters of Maui, Nalo, Te Fiti, and Te Ka are part of Polynesian mythology. The craft of wayfinding, which Moana takes on as her occupation, is an ancient Polynesian tradition used for ocean navigation. Maui’s animated tattoos are inspired by the sacred art of tattooing in the culture. Every ink tells a story or represents an achievement. .

Furthermore, the dances in the film and the music shows just how far Disney is willing to go for the sake of representation. The “Moana 2” soundtrack is produced by Samoan-born composer Opetai Foa’i with songs from other Islands artists like Olivia Foa’i and Te Vaka.

As wonderful as the film’s qualities are the the burning question remains: Where is Lin-Manuel Miranda? Because it’s very obvious that the Academy Award nominee didn’t compose the music for “Moana 2” as he did for the first film. This isn’t a slight to the songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, but the film’s songs are flat and boring, and the lyricism is lazy.

How Disney pivoted from Miranda’s Grammy award-winning “How Far I’ll Go” to Barlow and Bear’s “Beyond” is above the scope of this review. Whatever rift that occurred between Miranda and Disney needs to be resolved sooner rather than later. He needs to write the music for the upcoming ‘Moana 3.”(It’s a need, not a request).

One of the reasons why “Moana” is so memorable is because of the seamless camaraderie between Moana and Maui. This is sadly taken away from audiences in “Moana 2” as Maui only appears properly in the second half of the film. And although Johnson’s voice acting is spot on, it still doesn’t cover the obvious hole the lack of synergy left. Maui is replaced with Moana’s crew and that does nothing but make the film bland. Maui has a certain charm that no one (or crew) can ever replace.

The character of Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) needs some serious cross-examination. She’s supposed to be the film’s second villain but for some reason, she didn’t act like a typical Disney villain. Instead of wreaking havoc, she helps Moana. Also, she completely disappears during the second half of the film, never to be seen again, until the post-credit scene.

Matangi, voiced by Fraser, could’ve been so much more if given the opportunity. Sure, she has her opening number, but it would’ve been nice to know if she escaped the prison that Nalo put her in.

“Moana 2” is a rushed project and Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed this earlier in the year by stating hat the film was not originally planned to be a feature on the big screen; it was a long-form series slated for release on Disney+. This means that everyone at Disney had to put their heads together to release this sequel within the span of less than a year. It explains why the film received little promotion and why there wasn’t a lot said about a sequel for years until Disney made the official announcement.

It must have been a daunting task for the animators, directors, producers, composers, and songwriters to come up with this body of work, and kudos to them for releasing the film. Their efforts are paying off because “Moana 2” is a surprising box office success. It has officially surpassed $400 million at the worldwide box office and is on track to be on the list of the highest-grossing films of 2024.

This success is faintly attributed to the children who are “keeping the film in business” and their parents as well, because of course, they fund their movie-going lifestyle. The target audience are too young to see the glaring plot-holes, and it seems like Disney is profiting off this…big time.

Word of advice Disney: Don’t rush sequels. Take your time because your target audience is going nowhere. Oh, and bring Miranda back for “Moana 3”!

Release Date: November 27, 2024

Runtime: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Streaming Service: None. Cinematic Release

Director(s): David Derrick Jr, Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller

Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hualalai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, and Gerald Ramsey