Moana 2

Voices of: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, Hualali Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser
Directed by: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:
Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) heads back to the open seas to link her people to others, whom were divided years ago.

Review:

Tim: Of the many Disney characters, Moana has long felt like one who deserves more movies. The strength of the original film and the set up of the character and her world lend itself to myriad possibilities of new adventures. It took 8 years, but we finally got Moana 2. While this was certainly one of the highest grossing films of 2024, it feels slightly watered down. It's a good film, but it lost some of the spark that made the first film so enjoyable.

I think what bothered me the most is how safe this story played it. The reality is that it's a slight variation of the same story told in the original. Moana sets out, connects with Maui, faces grave danger and a giant supernatural entity, all to do something positive for her people. This sequel hits all the same notes, just in slightly different packaging. Like many people, I was interested in the continued adventures of Moana, just not, you know, the same story once again. I wish this film would have taken a few chances, tried to shift the formula a bit. Now, the formula works- this is a good movie and it's fun to watch Moana's adventure, but it never digs deeply enough. It feels too surface-level.

Many of the changes in the film feel superficial, or not fully explored. When Moana was about to set out again, I kind of laughed and said how ridiculous it was that her tribe sends this young girl out alone again. The film seemed to anticipate this, and she brings three characters along, mostly for comedic support. In theory, this idea works- it gives Moana characters to interact with and it's actually more logical. The trouble is we never get to spend enough time with any of the three she brings. They aren't wonderfully crafted characters anyway, but they don't get enough character development. They really needed to cut one of the characters (the gardening old man is the obvious choice) and spend a bit more time with the others. I wish they were more fully realized characters than they were.

I thought the character of Matangi was badly handled, too. She's initially introduced as a sort of second antagonist, but they apparently is actually good? I was waiting through her song for a trick or something, but it never comes. I think the idea of this is fine- someone you might not trust who turns out to be an ally. The problem is just how it's handled- it felt confusing. She trapped Maui early in the film in a very villainous manner, but she's not really bad. I'm all for complex characters with different motivations, but I thought the handling of this character was beyond clumsy.

The animation itself is gorgeous- there's many scenes that rival the original and many that show the advances in technology (although the advancement is iterative, not revolutionary). Still, the wide and open ocean, the amazing night shots- this movie is beautiful to look at. However, I didn't think the songs were anything special. It felt like the first film did require me to hear them a bit for those songs to really click, but after watching this film, I'm not sure what song I would purposely revisit. The music was okay, but it felt like a downgrade from the original movie.

Despite some obviously flaws, Moana 2 is a movie that features a wonderful, strong protagonist who acts bravely to save her people. She's a great role model for my 6 year-old daughter, who enjoyed the film. My 10 year-old son was a fan, too. The movie held their attention and they laughed at the antics we see throughout the movie. This film is entertaining and a solid effort for kids. For more discerning viewers, it's hard not to have mixed feelings about this movie. It's good, and we did finally get a second Moana adventure. However, it plays it safe and in small ways, feels like a step back in quality. I do think it's noteworthy that this film wasn't nominated for a single Academy Award. The original nabbed two. That's one more data point that this film doesn't reach the heights of the original. That being said, the movie made $404 million at the domestic box office, good enough for #4 on the year. That's significantly more than the original, so perhaps we'll see more adventures of Moana. I'd be for that, but I sincerely hope the next movie tries just a bit harder, perhaps gives us something that doesn't feel incredibly familiar once again.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Moana, The Princess and the Frog, Zootopia, Aladdin, Encanto