Moana 2

Disney’s Moana was a solid hit when it was released over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2016, but became an even larger hit thanks to endless streams on Disney+. The film, which boasted a few terrific songs, beautiful animation and was rich in its representation of Polynesian culture, has been a consistent rewatchable gem in Disney’s more recent arsenal. After several years, it was announced that a follow-up would take shape in the form of a Disney+ miniseries. After most of the project was completed, it was later revealed that the series would be reverse-engineered into a feature film. What follows is an uninspired sequel that lands more sighs of boredom than anything else.

Courtesy Disney

Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) has embraced her role as a leader for her small community. Having been crowned a “wayfinder”, Moana receives a message from her ancestors to follow a shooting star that will lead to a small island under the control of an angry god named Nalo. This island, known as Motufetu, which once connected all the different tribes living among the ocean, has sunk to the bottom of the sea. Along with her friends, the grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane), historian Moni (Hualalai Chung) and builder Loto (Rose Matafeo), Moana sets out on a quest to upend the magical curse and to finally unite the people of the ocean community. Meanwhile, Maui (Dwayne Johnson) has been taken hostage by Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a mysterious Bat woman whose motivations are unclear.

Moana 2 initially took life as a Disney+ miniseries before being retrofitted into a feature film and the results are painfully clear. The plot moves episodically from one location to the next with little flow or cohesion. The first film saw Moana and Maui on an adventure that saw both characters grow and learn from one another and had a strong adventure behind them. These two characters don’t share the screen until nearly an hour into this sequel. Instead, Moana is surrounded by new characters we don’t come to care about, let alone get a strong sense of who they even are before they set sail. By the end of this film, you don’t get the sense that these characters have truly grown, despite the occasional bout of heroism.

Moana stood out from other Disney animated films because Moana is not a Princess, she has no love interest and she’s an explorer first and foremost. She has more in common with Indiana Jones than Snow White or even Elsa and Anna. She has poise, bravery and a sense of exploration which made her such a radically different Disney heroine. The sequel stays true to Moana as a character — she’s still easily the best part of this film — but she’s trapped in a film that simply is not very interesting. Whereas the first film had an element of discovery along with catchy songs and witty humor, Moana 2 relies too heavily on easy gags and wisecracks to make up for genuine heart or a cohesive plotline.

Courtesy Disney

Why is Maui invested in this specific journey? Who is this mysterious Bat Lady that has captured Maui? And why does she have such hatred for him anyway? Many questions arise, but few answers are ever given. In fact, Maui serves little to no purpose here until the film’s climax. Even then, it’s a character that could’ve been taken out entirely and nothing would drastically change. The newly introduced sidekicks are completely devoid of any lasting personality and you’ll struggle to remember their names halfway through (lord knows I had to research each of their names just writing this review).

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who contributed to the first film’s memorable soundtrack, has not returned here and his absence is greatly felt. None of these new songs stick; flowing through one ear and out the other. The film’s core ballad “Beyond”, which is intended to be this film’s “How Far I’ll Go” sounds an awful lot like the Rihanna song “Sledgehammer” from Star Trek Beyond. Maui’s big solo number “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?” is as far off in quality from “You’re Welcome” as humanly possible. The new songs, credited to songwriters Abigail Barlow and Sarah Bear, just don’t have the magic or earworm quality of the first film. The animation is expectedly gorgeous with lovely oceanic views and water animation which now looks as photorealistic as we’ve ever seen outside of Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water. Auli’i Cravalho is just as charming in her voice work as Moana, gifted with a lovely singing voice and a spunky attitude that perfectly embodies the character.

Courtesy Disney

The first Moana was a breath of fresh air that had a great sense of discovery, songs you wouldn’t be able to get out of your head and a wonderful new Disney heroine. Moana 2 is a dull, generic slog of a film that does little to boast genuine excitement or a sense of adventure. Despite stellar animation and a solid voice cast, this is a lifeless follow-up. It’s easy to gage how these films play with a young audience simply by how they react in the following hours after the film. On the car ride home, my almost 7-year-old niece never mentioned a word about the songs, or even hummed one of its many tunes. On the way back from Wicked, she wanted to hear “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” almost instantly. Chee Hoo? More like Chee Boo.

Moana 2 is now playing in theaters.