When Moana was released in 2016, it became an instant classic. As Disney’s first animated film with a Polynesian princess lead, starring one of the biggest movie stars on the planet (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson), directed by the duo behind Aladdin, Hercules and The Princess and the Frog, with music from a post-Hamilton Lin-Manuel Miranda, there was something in it for everybody. So it comes as no surprise that the studio would eventually make a sequel.
Originally announced as a long-form series four years ago, it was revealed earlier this year that the project had been retooled as a traditional theatrical sequel. But was the reason for the change Disney’s confidence in the project, or an attempt to save something that probably shouldn’t have existed in the first place?
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Co-directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, Moana 2 takes place three years after the events of the last film. When we reconvene with the titular wayfinder, she’s still exploring local islands for answers about her tribe’s place in the world. Shortly after making a small discovery, she is contacted by her ancestors and informed about a curse placed on her home island by a god named Nalo. In an effort to break the curse, Moana assembles a crew and sets sail across the ocean. Along the way, she and her crew make some new friends, foes and even connect with the demigod Maui, who may or may not have his own ties to Nalo.
Now, the film does not waste a moment jumping into the action. In the span of the first five minutes, Moana is making major leaps through a nearby forest, saving her animal companions from certain death and (literally) singing the praises of her newfound discovery. In fact, this might be Walt Disney Animation’s most action-heavy film since Big Hero 6. And not since Clash of the Titans have fights against gods and giant krakens ever looked so cool. Where the first film explored the topographical lengths Moana would go to save her tribe, this film explores the physical lengths she’d go. In consistently putting her life on the line, she transcends the “princess” title that Disney heroines usually have thrust upon them (that even Maui calls back to) and earnestly proves she’s something greater: a warrior.
While there’s much more action in this entry, the music is surprisingly lackluster. That doesn’t mean its use is any less important. Each song undoubtedly has a role in moving the story along. For example, through the film’s self-indulgent opening number (“We’re Back”) and accompanying musical montage, we reunite with some old villagers and the eccentric new ones that will eventually become Moana’s crew. But unlike it’s predecessor the music settles into being another storytelling device than an element that enhances the adventure. Simply put, while no song is bad, there isn’t a single song that is so good it sticks with you after the credits roll.
That’s not so much a problem than a symptom of the film’s main issue. As great as the animation is and as wonderful as it is to revisit Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson’s chemistry as Moana and Maui, and to see them set sail on a new adventure, the stakes don’t match the story. Granted, Moana’s ancestors are literally forcing her to go off and break the curse put over her tribe. But nothing will happen to her if she doesn’t go. If anything, she’s putting the lives of her crew at risk by trying. In the first film, her island was dying. Here, you can feel everything that made the first one special dying instead.
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Even the connection that Maui has to this film’s villains is never fully articulated. His eventual capture feels like a total misdirect only meant to guarantee our two leads end up in the same place. The set-up, while charming, only briefly distracts from the fact that very little makes sense.
Moana 2 is not bad. But, with the exception of the animation and the two lead performances, it misses everything that made the first one so good. While children and adults of all ages will still show up to see it, many will notice the dip in quality. The greatest irony won’t be because the project was supposed to be on Disney+. Instead, it’ll be because in a series about a wayfinder it’s never been more apparent how much the studio has lost its way.
