As I sat in the theater, I never expected to be completely captivated by a PG movie with the target audience being years younger than I am. Yet, Moana 2 was everything I could want from a sequel.
The first movie ends with Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) restoring the heart of Te Fiti, subsequently to restore ocean life and islands. She returns to her home where her people embrace their ancestral roots as voyagers and begin to explore the seas to find new islands to settle.
The film takes place three years after these events. In that time, Moana has become an experienced wayfinder, a traveler to other islands in search of other people and a big sister to Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda). After a vision from her ancestor Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), Moana makes the difficult decision to journey across the ocean to find the long lost island of Motufetu to bring the people of the ocean together again. She and her eclectic crew encounter new goddesses and monsters as they enter new realms while attempting to save the seas.
The film is already projected to make over $1 billion at the box office, compared to its budget of $150 million. With Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson returning as Moana and Maui, respectively, the sequel also introduced plenty of new characters to keep viewers entertained.
The animation was absolutely stunning in this film. Between the vibrant colors and incorporation of hand-drawings, the film felt nostalgic while still being something I’ve never seen before. The representation of Polynesian culture was even stronger in this film than in the original, which was beautiful to see. From the pottery showcased to the jewelry minor characters wore, it was evident the animators took time to learn about the culture they were representing. The filmmakers didn’t recycle the same visuals from the first movie, rather they made the Moana universe even more compelling and pleasing to look at. They made Moana look older and more mature, created beautiful lighting and just the ocean itself was a marvel to look at.
The storyline, while perhaps a little slow at first, was intriguing throughout. Compared to Frozen 2, which I don’t remember a single thing except when we see Elsa and Anna’s parents as teenagers and Sven sings, Moana 2 offered a memorable and intriguing story. When Moana and Maui were reunited later in the movie, it truly started to take off. Their dynamic is unbeatable, and their scenes together were some of the most poignant and impactful. I also really enjoyed the emphasis on her ancestors. While I won’t spoil it, moments with Moana and the ghost of her people induced several sniffles from throughout the theater.
Despite all of these successes, Lin Manuel-Miranda was evidently missing. Miranda, most famously known for the popular musical Hamilton, composed the soundtrack for the first film and received a Grammy for his work. While the songs weren’t necessarily bad, they didn’t linger in my mind like the score from Moana 1 did. The soundtrack was arguably one of the best, if not the best, part of the original film, and unfortunately, the soundtrack this time was not. Though some of the songs, specifically “Beyond” and “Get Lost,” were enjoyable, I found myself more intrigued by the animation during the song rather than the lyrics themselves. In the first movie all of the songs made sense and had a reason to be there; all the songs moved the plot forward. Moana 2 on the other hand could’ve gone without a few of their musical numbers because they didn’t add or do anything for the storyline. But again, the songs weren’t bad– they just weren’t great.
Additionally, I was confused about why Moana still lived on Motunui in the film. Wasn’t the whole conclusion of the first movie that her people were going to become voyagers again and find new islands to settle on? Perhaps the film’s writers needed to rewatch the first film once more. Another question I had while leaving the theater was about Moana’s fellow Motunui villagers. Some of the people on Moana’s crew had what appeared to be Australian/New Zealand accents. Why would they have them when Moana doesn’t, and they’ve only been in contact with people on Montuni for years?
Despite the not-stellar soundtrack and minor plot holes, the movie did not disappoint and was a great sequel. It added depth to both Moana and Maui’s character, further developed their friendship and perfectly set up a third Moana installment.
