2016’s Moana was all about looking to the past to improve the future. This wasn’t just because the title character (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) learned from the choices of her elders to pave a new path for her people; it also felt like a step forward for Disney animation, providing a strong female character with her hopes and dreams and not motivated by a love interest. Moana certainly played in the tropes of Disney animation, but it also charted its own course, using those elements to create something much stronger. For all its strengths, Moana often kept moving forward, keeping an eye on what was next. We are introduced to the people of Montunui before Moana goes on her own adventure, leaving them behind. Or after befriending the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) near the end of the film, we don’t get the opportunity to experience this new dynamic that was formed. And how do you introduce a character as adorable as the pig Pua and leave her behind??

Like Moana, its sequel, Moana 2, learns from the choices of the past to create an intriguing future that allows us to spend more time with the threads set up in the first film. In doing so, Moana 2 expands this world greatly, taking time to play around with these new relationships, and builds this into a universe that demands exploring. In the first film, we are shown Moana’s passion for freedom and the possibilities of what could lie beyond her island. With Moana 2, we finally feel that excitement about expanding beyond what we’ve already seen, making this the best animated Disney film since Encanto.

What Is ‘Moana 2’ About?

Moana 2 brings us back to the island of Motunui, where Moana has become a wayfinder, navigating the waters with ease. By looking beyond their shores, the island has thrived, but Moana struggles to find anyone else in her adventures. After finding an artifact that implies other people are out there somewhere, Moana is led on a quest by her ancestors, who call her to break the god Nalo’s curse, which has hidden the island of Motofetu, a land that helped unite and connect the various tribes around the ocean.

But on this long quest, Moana needs to bring a crew along from her island, including Loto (Rose Matafeo), who is an expert at constructing, deconstructing, and improving ships; Moni (Hualālai Chung), who is strong and likes to tell stories, while also being a huge fan of Maui; and Kele (David Fane), an older farmer—and of course, Moana also brings her animal friends Tua and the clueless chicken Heihei (Alan Tudyk). To break Nalo’s curse, Moana also needs the help of Maui, who has been captured in his demigod adventures by another god, Matangi (Awhimai Fraser). Moana will have to work with her crew of new and old friends to unite the people of the ocean who have been separated from each other for many generations.

‘Moana 2’ Expands the Possibilities of This World

Moana 2 began as a limited streaming project for Disney+ before the surprise reveal earlier this year that the project has been reworked into a theatrical film. Moana 2 doesn’t feel like a TV show crammed into a 90-minute film, but rather, we can tell that plenty of time and thought has gone into how to flesh out Moana’s world into something that can be explored over an extended period. Jared Bush, who wrote the first film, returns as co-writer with Dana Ledoux Miller, and this expansion comes off as natural to this world—which makes perfect sense since Moana is literally trying to expand the world of her people.

Moana 2 is directed by first-time directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Miller, taking over for the legendary animation directors John Musker and Ron Clements, who made the first film. This trio does an admirable job as directors harnessing the beauty of the open sea and the possibilities that are awaiting this team. Water has rarely looked this good in animation, and there’s a scope and grandness that is always impressive. From the appearances of an island-sized clam to gigantic monsters that Moana and company have to face down, the scale here is on another level from the first film.

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This also allows us to spend more time with the details that the first film set up but simply didn’t have time to get too deep into. We get to see more of Moana as a leader on her island, and by bringing her new crew with her, there are also fun new dynamics to play with, as opposed to just having her alongside a chicken and a demigod. We also start to see Moana as part of her village’s lineage., not only as someone who her ancestors will speak to but also in inspiring the next generation, as she even has a fan club of kids that follow her around, known as the “MOANA-BE’s” and her own younger sister, the adorable Simea (Khalessi Lambert-Tsuda). In the first film, it was easy to sometimes see Moana as a part of that Disney tradition of characters who simply want to push away from their parents’ desires and form their own path. But here we get a greater impression of how she fits in the great circle of life (Disney pun intended).

But the best dynamic that gets expanded here is the one between Moana and Maui. After the adventure of the first film, Maui now begins to see Moana as a powerful force who could potentially be his peer. There’s a pride in the way Maui interacts with Moana now, and it’s a delightful relationship that only improves the further the film goes on. Disney animated sequels are still fairly rare (no, direct-to-video sequels do not count), so it’s great to see how a lead’s relationship with their sidekick character evolves over a longer period of time, and it’s one of the most charming elements of this sequel.

But ‘Moana 2’ Isn’t Always Bigger and Better
Image via Disney

But Moana 2 also isn’t a complete improvement on what came before it. Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i return for the film’s score, but Lin-Manuel Miranda is replaced by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear for the original songs. While in the moment, these songs are often powerful or playful in ways that further the story, they don’t manage to stick with you after the movie is over the way Miranda’s songs did. By the time the film brings back “We Know the Way” (Te Fenua te Malie) from the first film, the difference in the songs is quite apparent. The songs are fun, but it’s hard to compete with what Miranda did.

It’s also hard to ignore the structural similarities to the original film. The first act begins with Moana getting ready for her journey on the island; the second features yet another journey that has her running into the Kakamora coconut warriors and a secondary villain, this time in Matangi; with the third giving us a massive fight and an emotional catharsis. Moana 2 even makes a joke about repeating the same joke from the first film over and over again. These similar bones don’t ruin what the film is doing well, but it can sometimes feel like a rehash of what we’ve already seen.

While it’s very impressive how Moana 2 gives us more opportunities for where this story can go, as with the first film, this sequel often feels compelled to set us up for further adventures down the line. Moving this project from Disney+ to the big screen proves that Disney sees the potential in this property going forward not only with future sequels but a live-action remake already coming in 2026 (marking the smallest gap between the animated film and its live-action version). Along with the Journey of Water area in EPCOT, it’s clear Disney has high hopes for the legacy of this world. But it also leaves some aspects, especially the villain of Kakamora, as something that is being set up rather than a thread that gets tied up in this installment.

Still, after a few missteps with films like Wish and Strange World, Moana 2 brings back the magic to Disney animation that has been missing for the past few years. This is a solid way to justify returning to this universe, with the expansion of this world an exciting prospect, and a strong bond between Moana and Maui making this journey worthwhile. Moana 2 shows the potential this series has in how far it’ll go, and it’s a promising step forward in that adventure.

Moana comes to theaters on November 27.

Moana 2 explores the possibilities of this universe, and builds on the bond between Moana and Maui, but stays a bit too close to the original’s formula.ProsMoana 2 goes deeper into the ocean to show the potential this world has to offer.Moana and Maui’s relationship is charming and fleshed out even further.New characters are nice additions to this expansive cast. ConsThe songs just can’t compete with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s from the original.The structure is far too similar to that of the first film.

Moana sets out on another daring voyage, venturing into uncharted territories to save her island from a looming ancient danger. Joined by the demigod Maui and her steadfast friends, she braves perilous seas and encounters new allies along the way. Her quest leads to revelations about her ancestors and deeper insights into her bond with the ocean. Release Date November 27, 2024 Director David G. Derrick Jr. , Jason Hand , Dana Ledoux Miller Cast Auli’i Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Alan Tudyk , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Nicole Scherzinger , Hualālai Chung , David Fane , Rose Matafeo , Awhimai Fraser , Gerald Ramsey , Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda Runtime 100 Minutes

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