One of the most popular characters in the Disney realm, Moana, is once again sailing the seven seas, and it’s somewhat surprising it took so long. The last collaboration between celebrated animation directors John Musker and Ron Clements (“The Little Mermaid”), the original “Moana” earned rave reviews, was a massive box office hit, and has been a consistent staple in the Disney+ top 10 most trending options since the streaming service launched in 2019. Eight years later, Musker and Clements are gone, and the long-awaited sequel, “Moana 2,” is the reconfigured narrative of a previously announced streaming series. Considering the time crunch the creatives were given to transform the original story into a movie, it’s impressive that the new film is anywhere near as entertaining and visually appealing as it is.
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Not long past the events in the original film, Moana (once again voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho) is on the hunt for the long-lost sister islands of her home, Motunui. When she finds a relic on an island a three-day voyage away, she has a glimmer of hope that the tales of the other ocean nations might be true. Returning to Motunui, she learns of the legend of the sunken island of Motufetu, which once connected all the tribes. Many years ago, the god Nalo cursed Motufetu to the bottom of the sea. Until it is raised and a human sets foot on it, the sister islands will be lost.
Realizing she needs a bigger boat and a larger crew to pull off this trek, Moana recruits the super-smart shipbuilder Loto (Rose Matafeo), a grumpy farmer in Kele (David Fane), and Moni (Hualālai Chung), a storytelling artist who may be too big of a fan of Moana’s one-time partner Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Oh, that’s right, the shape-shifting demigod is back, and they all meet up eventually (more on that in a minute). Also along for the ride are Moana’s chicken Heihei and her slightly bigger pig, Pua.
For most of the film, Maui is trapped under the control of Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a witch/god/whatever doing the bidding of Nalo (a character given neither heard from, and barely seen in the clouds). Frankly, Matangi only exists as a connector to reunite Moana’s crew and Maui, but at least she gets a song, “Get Lost.” The track doesn’t make much sense in the context of the story, but the animators find a fun way to bring it to life, and Fraser sings the hell out of it. And at least it’s upbeat, right? And that is one of “Moana 2’s” biggest issues.The first “Moana” featured original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who earned an Oscar nomination for “How Far I’ll Go.” This time around, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear (aka Barlow & Bear) have stepped in, collaborating with returning composers Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi. Despite their Grammy-winning pedigree, the results are much less memorable. You know it’s a problem when you can’t remember one tune from the film a few minutes after walking out of the theater.
Despite the lack of musical showmanship, directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller (three directors are never a good sign) compose some beautiful visuals and genuine moments of humor. You will laugh (or maybe chuckle) when you’re supposed to, and for many viewers, that will be enough. The three filmmakers and their individual character animators also craft some wonderfully tender scenes between Moana and her significantly younger sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda). These moments are splendid but also somewhat fleeting.
The stakes in a Disney Animated feature are rarely very high. These films are crafted as broad entertainment in the most family-friendly prism possible. And, frankly, there is nothing wrong with that. A familiar formula can still break your heart or spur the imagination. Too much of “Moana 2” is simply far too familiar to make it anything more than a convenient escape. Maybe the world needs that, or maybe the inevitable third chapter needs the creative green light to push the boundaries on what this beloved Disney princess is allowed to do. [C+]
“Moana 2” is now playing nationwide.