“Moana” kept a years-long winning streak rolling for Disney Animation. Its sequel, meanwhile, is unfortunately the latest in a string of misfires for the studio.
Set three years after the events of the first film, “Moana 2” picks up with the titular character (Auli’I Cravalho) continuing to sail the ocean as an explorer. Her goal this time is to find other communities on various islands to connect with. Her effort so far, though, is unsuccessful.
In need of some guidance, the hero is given a vision showing how a storm god, Nalo, caused a calamity that separated the people of the ocean. To reverse the situation, Moana sets out on a new adventure to break Nalo’s curse, and ends up getting help from new friends and an old one.
In 1994, Disney released “Return of Jafar,” a direct-to-video film serving as a sequel to the 1992 smash-hit and a pilot for a new animated series. Now, 30 years later, it kind of feels like Disney did something similar. “Moana 2” began as a new Disney+ series that was morphed into a feature-length movie. And, yeah, it shows.
There is a very pilot episode feel to the movie, from the adventure-of-the-week vibes it puts off with the protagonist’s quest to the numerous new characters it quickly introduces. There’s not really a cinematic pulse here. It all feels like a lot of story fodder meant to set up episodes of a series in the future.
Even though the movie has Moana trying to do another important thing, the stakes don’t feel as high, the scope doesn’t feel as grand, the songs aren’t as moving and the motivations aren’t as fleshed out. It’s a real disappointment considering the heights the original picture reached.
Perhaps what’s most disappointing is Moana herself. In the original film she was filled with desire for adventure and had a fire burning bright inside of her. Here, it feels like her character has regressed some. She seems a bit reluctant about adventure now, and doesn’t seem like the charismatic, proficient leader she should be.
Maybe Disney should take notes from Dreamworks, considering how that studio was able to advance characters like Po and Hiccup in “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” The only real change that was made in Moana’s case seemed to be cranking up her quirkiness. There was a healthy amount in the first film for good humor, but it feels overly done this time around.
Moana is fine, however, compared to the new crew accompanying her. It’s a group of unmemorable caricatures who add such little value to this series. It’s not like I’d rather Moana go solo this time around, but the new characters she sails with are just lame and one dimensional. Also, one of them has a British accent for some reason?
Anyway, Maui is back, which is cool and all. Dwayne Johnson again infuses the demigod with a lot of charisma which bolster the overall vibes. Honestly I would have taken another buddy-type film with him and Moana again, though Maui doesn’t really have as much of an arc this time around like he did in the first.
It’s at least better than the villains. One of them is a woman who can control bats or something and has a villain song but then disappears halfway through. Nalo, the actual big-bad, meanwhile, doesn’t even have any real speaking lines so it’s unclear what their motivation even is.
The movie at least looks good, which is unsurprising considering the flick has Disney Animation’s war chest. There are some really good visual moments offering entertainment and excitement, earning the movie some points.
However, much of the movie remains a disappointment. The music is a far cry from the first film, the protagonists don’t feel like they’ve really advanced from the original, the supporting characters are poor and the story just kind of goes through the motions. 2 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 