Moana 2 Review: A Few Rough Waves Aren't Enough To Sink Disney's Sentimental Sequel

It's hard to overstate the phenomenon that Walt Disney Animation's "Moana" has become since its release in 2016. /Film's own Ethan Anderton gave the first film a whopping 10 out of 10 perfect score, it became the most-streamed movie across any platform in 2023, and it's widely accepted that the music from "Moana" remains some of the best in Lin-Manuel Miranda's oeuvre. Honestly, it's a bit shocking that Disney waited as long as they did to return to the ocean-deep well with a continuation of Moana's story, perhaps even more so that the House of Mouse's original intention was a direct-to-streaming series rather than the theatrical sequel we have today. Fortunately, much like "Frozen II," "The Incredibles 2," and "Toy Story 4," we may not have needed a sequel, but at least the one we got is enjoyable and manages to actually push the story forward.

When we last saw Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho), the nearly 16-year-old hero bid farewell to her demigod bestie Maui (Dwayne Johnson), perched a shell on top of the stack of stones placed by all of the previous chiefs of the island, and accepted her destiny as a chiefess and voyage leader as a wayfinder. So much of the first film was about Moana learning to connect to her past to have a greater understanding of her own identity, but "Moana 2" has its eyes on the future. Three years later, Moana receives a call from her ancestors to seek out the lost island of Motufetu, a land that once connected the people of Oceania but has been cursed by a malevolent god called Nalo. Knowing that this will be her toughest voyage yet, Moana assembles a crew to join her on her journey into the beyond. The result is a joyous adventure the whole family will love with higher stakes to reflect a more mature Moana.

A lot has changed for Moana in three years, and Auli'i Cravalho (who already crushed it this year in the "Mean Girls" musical) beautifully reflects this evolution. She's still the positive, bubbly leader we know and love, but there's a maturity and groundedness to her voice that echoes her new position as a seasoned wayfinder and, more importantly, as an older sister. Moana has a toddler-aged lil' sis named Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), who practically worships her as if she were an ancestral god. Of all the new additions to "Moana 2," Simea is undoubtedly the strongest. Moana is brave and willing to adventure even if it means putting her life at risk, but the thought of devastating Simea is almost too much for her to bear. Pessimists may see the little sister's inclusion as a "cute tax," but Cravalho and Lambert-Tsuda's palpable chemistry perfectly captures the dynamic of age-gap siblings and forces Moana to realize that the true risk in all of her voyages is that she has people in her life worth losing.

As for her crew, the addition of Loto (Rose Matafeo), Kele (David Fane), and Moni (Hualalai Chung) is where the switch from series to feature film is most noticeable. All three characters are delightful in their own right, but "Moana 2" is attempting to do so much with her newest adventure that we don't spend enough time really getting to know them. Even after one of the characters has a near-death experience, the film doesn't sit with his visible trauma response and all is forgotten in the interest of plot momentum for the next scene.

It's a shame because their addition does make room for another growth point for Moana — realizing that even heroes are strongest when they work on a team with their community. Here's hoping that if Disney decides to pursue a third film (considering where this film left off, they should), we'll get more of Moana's crew.

While Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi returned to compose the film's score, songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear took over from Lin-Manuel Miranda to write the original songs. While they aren't as poppy or instantly catchy as LMM's, the music is reflective of Moana's newly developed maturity. Her big number, "Beyond," sits perfectly in Cravalho's voice and gives her room in her lower register to express the uncertainty in her voice. Miranda's songs fit nicely with the "Princess Canon" of Disney music, while Barlow/Bear's music reminds us that Moana is not a princess, even if people frequently confuse her for one. She's a wayfinder, and she's a chief, and don't you forget it.

The stand-out number, however, is "Get Lost," performed by Awhimai Fraser as the mysterious, shape-shifting, bat-loving Matangi. There hasn't been a true female villain song since "Mother Knows Best" from "Tangled," but the baton has been passed to "Get Lost" in all of her belt-singing glory. Dwayne Johnson once again talk-sings his way through a number, and while it doesn't have the same addictiveness as "You're Welcome," the tune "Can I Get A Chee Hoo?" sounds like the music that would hit if Maui were a professional wrestler which tracks for a character voiced by The People's Champion.

Ultimately — and I acknowledge this will be an unpopular opinion — the music in "Moana 2" sounds exactly the way it should. In some ways, Moana is more secure in herself this time around but as she learns more about the world around her, the more questions she has and the more she recognizes the height of the stakes of answering the call. The music mirrors that contention like the sound of the ocean trapped in a seashell.

The sequel film dives deeper into Polynesian myths, values, and traditions, and it's clear that Disney doubled down on doing their homework to represent the culture as accurately as possible. Granted, I can't speak to whether or not it accomplishes that goal as I'm not Polynesian and it's not my place, but there was a noticeable increase from the previous film with the way lore is incorporated into her journey.

"Moana 2" bites off a bit more than it can chew at times, and the pacing is as smooth as it can be for a series that was condensed into a feature film, but it's hard to be bothered by any of the film's shortcomings when "Moana" stories embody resilience, the pursuit of curiosity, community-building, defying gendered expectations, and embracing personal growth. This isn't a story about a woman marrying into the ruling class, gaining power over others, or dominating those she deems unsavory, but instead a chief on a mission of responsibility and the quest to do what's right for the people closest to her. As Gramma Tala tells Moana, "We never stop choosing who we are," and "Moana 2" is a call to us all to choose to be leaders in our own right, with or without the assistance of a demigod.

/Film Rating: 7 out of 10

"Moana 2" opens in theaters on November 27, 2024.