The original Moana holds a very special place in my heart. It was the first movie I was invited to screen on the Disney studio lot in Burbank — a pretty big deal for someone who got engaged at Disneyland, honeymooned at Walt Disney World and has matching Disney tattoos with their spouse — and it was my son’s favorite movie for the first few years of his life. It would be accurate to say I hoped the sequel would offer a similar emotional connection for our family, but regrettably, Moana 2 feels more like a pale imitation of its predecessor rather than a necessary follow-up.
Once again, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) sets out on a journey across the ocean in hopes of lifting the curse of a vengeful god, but whereas the fate of her island — and her people — hung in the balance last time around, this time the stakes are far less personal, which ultimately serves to make them less compelling. And while she was originally accompanied by the arrogant, shape-shifting Maui (Dwayne Johnson), this time she has a host of severely underwritten companions in tow, as well as returning sidekicks Pua and Hei-Hei. As for Maui, he’s been captured by a sorceress (?) named Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a delightfully realized villain (?) who all but disappears for the second half of the film, once Moana is finally reunited with her demigod bestie.
The music of Moana was one of its biggest strengths, but returning fans are likely to come away nonplussed with the sequel’s auditory offerings. “Beyond” is the centerpiece song, showcasing the power of Cravalho’s vocals while failing to evoke the soul-stirring quality of the previous film’s “How Far I’ll Go.” There’s nothing here that proves as unexpectedly hilarious as an enormous bedazzled crab belting out the lyrics to the David Bowie-inspired “Shiny,” but Fraser’s sole contribution, “Get Lost,” is serviceably catchy. Johnson fares the worst here, with “Can I Get a Chee-Hoo?” feeling less like the inspirational number it’s clearly intended to be, and more like Johnson listened to the worst Disney songs of all time and then said “hold my beer Teremana tequila.”
Moana 2 sails on the strength of its breathtaking animation and visuals, which continue Disney’s tradition of pushing the boundaries of what CG animation can achieve. The ocean scenes shimmer with life, the lush island backdrops border on photorealism, and the character animation is as expressive as ever. Yet for all its beauty, the film can’t seem to crest the wave of its disjointed narrative and its lack of character development. It was reportedly conceived as a series for Disney+ and was developed over the course of several years before being retooled as a feature, a fact I didn’t learn until after my screening, but which might explain some of its more confounding elements. There’s enough here to entertain younger viewers — as I’m sure I’ll discover this weekend when I take my son — but Moana 2 feels adrift at sea, with only fleeting glimpses of the magic that made the first film so beloved.