Review: ‘Moana 2’ drowns the potential of Disney’s most inventive 21st century original

Once upon a time, sequels to Walt Disney Animation Studio’s biggest hits were little more than direct-to-video cash grabs trying to squeeze some extra dollars from a successful property. Fortunately, in recent years, the House of Mouse realized it would be better for the brand to put some elbow grease into follow-ups. These efforts still fall short of creating masterpieces, as Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen 2 failed to capture the originals’ magic. Still, they were good enough to justify a trip to the theater. Moana 2, on the other hand, makes a good argument against Disney ever doing a sequel again.

Moana 2 reveals that returning Te Fiti’s heart was not enough to free the ocean. The currents connecting all the tribes in the world remain locked because the vengeful god Nalo has sunk the island from where all the traveling routes flow. Suddenly, that becomes an urgent necessity, as the people of Motunui realize they will go extinct if they remain isolated. That means Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho), now officially a wayfarer, has to reverse Nalo’s curse if she ever hopes to find other people.

This premise is enough to reveal that Moana 2’s plot is as shallow as a puddle. The first movie underlined how Motunui thrived for centuries before Moana first decided to restore her people’s ancient exploration tradition, a fact that’s now put into question. Plus, the sequel never explains exactly why the big baddie Nalo has gone to such extreme lengths to erase humanity’s history. Everything is just put into place to justify Moana gathering a new crew and going on a new adventure, even though every turn of the tide leaves us soaked with disappointment.

What made the first Moana so unexpectedly good is how Jared Bush’s script weaves together mythology with deep themes of building your own identity, finding value in tradition, and humans’ responsibility to protect nature. Yes, Moana is exciting, but it also has something to say, which explains its continued appeal long after the hype of the release has vanished. The same cannot be said for the sequel, which just reuses fantasy and adventure tropes, splashes a Polynesian paint on top of it, and calls it a day.

Right from the start, it’s clear that the primary goal of Moana 2 is to turn a solid standalone story into an expansive franchise. To do that, the sequel has to stop every few minutes to slosh another gallon of half-baked exposition at the audience. The story takes the backseat, as Moana 2 needs to ensure everyone has learned the names of the new gods, fantastic creatures, and mythical concepts that will come into play for a threequel and beyond. As for the titular character, she’s just there, being dragged by the currents of multiple deus ex machinae that steal her focus as the protagonist in favor of simple solutions — the plot must move on, even if that means sacrificing Moana’s agency in her world.

It would be easy to blame the extra pair of hands who wrote Moana 2, as Dana Ledoux Miller joins Bush for the sequel. However, the disconnectedness of the movie’s scenes smells like an executive intervention. Moana 2 is less worried about being a good movie than checking all the boxes in a pre-threequel list. Meanwhile, it forgets that while there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious and betting big in the future, if you want people to keep coming back for more, you must ensure your current installment is enjoyable.

It’s not just that Moana 2 is inferior to its predecessor in every aspect. The movie is also a slog. The constant plot dump and the miraculous resolution of almost every conflict botch the sequel’s rhythm to a point where even a 100-minute runtime feels too much to bear. It doesn’t help that Moana and Maui (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) don’t get character arcs, instead retreading their steps and revisiting the same conflicts of the first movie. Maui suffers the most, being reduced to little more than a glorified cameo sprinkled over the script so his demi-god abilities can be part of the final battle.

As for the newcomers, Moana is joined by three of her tribemates in the sequel, each reduced to a single personality trait. There’s Moni (voiced by Hualālai Chung), a Maui fan; Loto (voiced by Rose Matafeo), an anxious inventor; and Kele (voiced by David Fane), a grumpy farmer. None of them has a single line that goes with the stereotypical representation they get when they first appear, and their presence doesn’t change the plot significantly.

To be clear, the voice cast is terrific, and the little fun Moana 2 has to offer comes from their genuine enthusiasm for the project. Even so, using 3D animation on such unidimensional characters feels like a waste, as no bright and colorful set piece can compensate for a group of forgettable characters.

Moana 2’s biggest sin, though, is how bland the musical numbers are compared to those of the first movie. The first movie’s musical direction was so good that “You’re Welcome” became a hit regardless of Johnson’s singing voice sounding like, well, Johnson. In the sequel, it’s easy to realize that the whole cast cannot sing, as they paired Johnson’s rugged voice with the worst tune of an unmemorable batch.

The only exception is Awhimai Fraser’s song. The actress voices Matangi, a mysterious addition to Moana lore who steals every scene she appears. But once she starts singing “Get Lost,” you realize that’s her movie, not Moana’s. If there’s justice in the world, the song will be a runner for the awards season, and every Hollywood studio will compete for Fraser in the upcoming years.

Aside from that, Moana 2 still looks amazing. The water effects crafted for the first movie were refined for the sequel, and the ocean rarely looks this good in animation. Since the sequel deals with storms and strong winds, the technical team has the opportunity to showcase the incredible talent fostered at Walt Disney Animation. That does result in an eye-popping spectacle. We only wish there was a better story to go along with it.