Moana 2 has a problem that never quite gets solved. It is a sequel that wants to be bigger, louder, and more ambitious than its predecessor, but it never quite figures out what that means. The result is a film that is mostly fine, occasionally thrilling, and ultimately just a little bit hollow.
The film picks up three years after the first Moana, with the titular wayfinder having become a chieftess of her island of Motunui. She spends her days exploring other nearby islands, hoping to find people connected to the ocean. That search leads her to a vision from her ancestor Tautai Vasa, who reveals that a malicious storm god named Nalo sunk the legendary island of Motufetu, the island that connected all the islands of Oceania. Vasa warns that the people of Motunui will go extinct if Moana cannot raise Motufetu.
Trailer, via Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Moana’s New Crew
Moana assembles a crew to follow the path of a comet across the ocean towards Motufetu. The new additions include craftswoman Loto, historian Moni, and grumpy elderly farmer Kele, alongside her pet pig Pua and rooster Heihei. The core of the original film’s cast returns, with Dwayne Johnson’s Maui still seeking Motufetu after a previous quarrel with Nalo. Maui is captured by Matangi, Nalo’s enforcer, and Moana is reluctant to contact him because she fears he may not survive if she comes to help.
That reluctance is the film’s central weakness. The story repeatedly asks us to care about the fate of Moana’s people, but it never quite makes the stakes feel urgent. The vision from Tautai Vasa is a good hook, but the film spends so much time setting up its villain and its crew that the moment of crisis never lands with the weight it should have.
The Kakamora and the Clam
The film’s best sequence comes when Moana and her crew are captured by the Kakamora, a tribe of savage coconut-like pirates. A Kakamora named Kotu helps the crew paralyze a gargantuan monster clam inside which is Matangi’s lair. Inside the clam, Moana meets Matangi and learns that she is not happy serving Nalo. Matangi helps Moana escape and reunite with Maui and her friends before sending them to where Nalo is.
It is a clever set piece, and it gives the film a sense of danger that the rest of the story struggles to match. But the sequence is also a symptom of the larger problem: the film keeps piling on surprises and set pieces without giving us much reason to care about the people behind them.
Maui’s Reluctance
Maui’s reluctance to contact Moana is a promising thread. He fears she may not survive, and that fear drives much of the early plot. But the film never resolves this tension in a satisfying way. Maui remains a powerful presence, voiced with his usual energy, but his character arc feels unfinished.
The Voice of Moana
Auliʻi Cravalho’s return to the recording studio is worth noting. When she returned to record lines for Disney fireworks shows, Disney on Ice, and Lego Disney Princess, she was repeatedly asked to raise her vocal pitch to sound like herself at age 16. She was delighted when the film’s directors allowed her to record Moana’s lines at age 19 with her natural voice as a woman in her early twenties.
That decision is a small but meaningful one. It is the first time, according to Cravalho, that a Disney princess has been allowed to age.
The Songs and the Score
The music returns with the same creators from the first film. Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi, the composers and co-songwriters of the original, returned to score and co-write the songs. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear served as the main songwriters.
The songs are pleasant, but they do not carry the emotional weight of the first film’s score. The film’s score is solid, but it is not the reason to watch. The songs are forgettable in a way that the original film’s songs were not.
The Kakamora’s Motivation
The film’s villain, Nalo, is a storm god who sinks Motufetu to gain power over mortals. But the film spends so much time setting up the villain that the actual conflict feels rushed. The Kakamora’s capture of Moana and her crew is a highlight, but the resolution of their capture is undercooked. The film rushes to its climax without giving the audience time to breathe.
What Works
- The animation is sharp, with the ocean rendered with real depth.
- The voice cast is committed, especially Cravalho and Johnson.
- The Kakamora sequence delivers genuine tension.
- Moana’s aging is a small but meaningful step forward.
What Doesn’t
- The villain’s motivation is thin and underdeveloped.
- The stakes feel rushed and underwritten.
- The songs do not land with the same emotional force as the first film.
- The film never quite resolves Maui’s reluctance.
Moana 2 is a technically competent film that never quite finds its footing. It is bigger, louder, and more ambitious than its predecessor, but it is also more scattered and less focused. The film’s best moments come from its set pieces, not from its character work. The sequel is a step forward in some ways, but it is a step forward that never quite reaches the finish line.
The film’s mixed reviews from critics reflect that tension. It is a film that is mostly fine, occasionally thrilling, and ultimately just a little bit hollow. It is a solid entry in the Moana franchise, but it is not the film that the first Moana deserved.
Moana 2 is a film that is worth seeing, but it is a film that is worth seeing only once. The sequel is a step forward in some ways, but it is a step forward that never quite reaches the finish line.
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