“Moana 2” first hit Austin theaters Nov. 26. It is the first movie released of the project announcements by D23 2024 this August. The original “Moana” (2016) is Disney’s 15th highest- grossing animated movie. Except for its colorful animations, the sequel does not compare to the 2016 film.
From the beginning, it is clear that Walt Disney Animation Studios has improved its animation of backgrounds and nature. A lush jungle setting with lovely green vegetation gives the opening scene a special depth and vibrancy, making the island setting impossible to miss. Purple skies featured mostly in the beginning and end of the film are beautiful. They give a nostalgic yet mature feel to the movie, which is fitting considering the deep love both adults and children feel for the “Moana” franchise.
As the film goes on, it is apparent that the animation style has leveled off from “Moana” (2016). Characters’ facial expressions have the same realness despite their obvious animated state. Animators, in both the original and sequel, have carefully manipulated the movements of characters’ eyes. Lines on the forehead and under the eyes of characters emphasize emotions of weariness, sadness, anger and confusion. The ‘monsters’ in “Moana 2” are as colorful and luminescent as in “Moana” (2016). Besides the opening scene, there are few visible differences in the animation quality and style from eight years ago.
The storyline of “Moana 2” is very weak compared to Disney’s past films, including the original “Moana” (2016).
The beginning of the movie is sweet. Moana has found her footing as a voyager and chief in her village, and the island is thriving. She ventures out into the ocean regularly and experiences a strong sense of community among her people. This exposition gives audiences comfort and familiarity as they settle in to watch Moana’s new adventure. But, the movie’s hype and joy lasts too long.
By the song “What Could Be Better Than This?” halfway through the film, the optimism gets old. The storyline lacks substance and instead consists of characters dancing and singing about how amazing their lives are. This theme is a good starting point for an animated movie, but, needless to say, it can’t effectively fill up an entire feature length film.
Adding to the emptiness of the film was the soundtrack. The 2016 soundtrack was written by Lin Manuel Miranda, who is also the songwriter of “Hamilton” (2019) and “Encanto” (2021). Miranda’s songs have depth. They were the backbone of the storyline of “Moana.” “Moana 2’s” songs, written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, lacked distinction and depth.
The lyrics and style of the song “Beyond” were reminiscent of many other Disney songs of a similar genre from the past. These include “How Far I’ll Go” (“Moana” 2016), “Into the Unknown” (“Frozen 2” 2019) and “This Wish” (“Wish” 2023). It was the typical princess’s pre-journey ballad.
The rest of the soundtrack was even less impressive. The first and last few songs were practically the same, with concepts of optimism and connecting with ancestors. These songs did little to help the plot progress and were pretty much indistinguishable from one another.
The only song that really stood out was demigod Maui’s “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” voiced by Dwayne Johnson. It was the “You’re Welcome” (“Moana” 2016) of this movie. Some distinguishing features of the Rock’s solo were rapping, vocal variations, high energy and exuberant animations. It was much more engaging than the rest of the soundtrack both visually and soundwise.
In terms of singing, the main voice actors did have some impressive moments in the spotlight. Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, who starred as protagonists Moana and Maui respectively in 2016, returned for this film. Cravalho’s voice has matured over the past eight years, which is most evident in her solo song “Beyond.” Despite its unoriginality, “Beyond” is a power ballad I can get behind because of Cravalho’s vocal talents. Johnson experimented with vocal dynamics and rapping in his solo “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?.” The singing in this film did not disappoint, but it didn’t make up for all else the film lacked.
The climax was extremely anticlimactic. It didn’t at all wrap up the movie or the goals established at the beginning of the film. And, the ‘happy ending’ was too predictable to be satisfactory. No real struggles were shown, and the villain was barely perceptible.
In fact, none of the new characters in “Moana 2” add much to the story. God Nalo, the antagonist, doesn’t play as big a role as Te Kā did in “Moana” (2016). Lack of humanization of the villain in this film meant that the ending battle felt relatively low-stakes. Nalo’s role in the plot was also lost in the happy singing of most of the film.
Moana’s younger sister Simea is another new character in this sequel. Though adorable, she isn’t at all important to the plot. Unless Disney is hinting at a potential sequel, her character could have been scrapped altogether. Same goes for Loto, Moni and Kele, who are Moana’s crew in her adventure. They sing along with her and struggle in sailing, but they cause neither major progressions or setbacks. So, they are pretty useless.
Matangi, the secondary antagonist, is a bat-themed demigoddess who is a servant of the villain Nalo. She has her own moment in the spotlight as she sings “Get Lost.” After her song, she is never seen again until the very end. And, her wisdom—conveyed by song—doesn’t clearly impact Moana’s character development or the journey ahead of her.
“Moana 2” is a disappointing sequel, especially considering the beauty of the original film. Its soundtrack, storyline and characters fell very short of expectations. “Moana” (2016) probably would have been better off without a sequel. It was a fulfilling story in itself. It’s probably best to just ignore this film and rewatch the original for old times’ sake. Let’s see how the rest of Disney’s sequels are over the next few years.
