It turns out she's not going far enough.
"Moana 2" is another Disney sequel that's content to go through the motions, often feeling like the Disney+ original that it was once intended to be before pivoting to a holiday theatrical release. It looks gorgeous, which may be enough for some viewers, but it's a remarkably thin piece of storytelling, an adventure tale with very little actual adventure, and a musical with very few memorable songs. While the lingering goodwill of the beloved 2016 original could be enough to make this worth the price of admission, even the most Disney-fied family members will have trouble remembering much about it by the time the credits are done rolling.
"Moana 2" opens three years after the end of the first movie with the titular heroine (Auli'i Cravalho) endeavoring to break the curse of Nalo that has essentially isolated islands of people. Moana is searching the seas for the mythical island of Motufetu, which can reportedly unite these different cultures. Still, it has been so hidden by Nalo that generations have been unable to find it. Moana says goodbye to mom Sina (Nicole Scherzinger), dad Tui (Temuera Morrison, doing a lot with very little), and little sis Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), and sets sail with a new crew of wayfinders. These include her pet pig and pet rooster, along with three new allies: a farmer named Kele (David Fane), an architect named Loto (Rose Matafeo), and a warrior named Moni (Hualālai Chung), who idolizes the legendary Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who is being held prisoner by a witch named Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) for the first hour of the relatively short film.
Let's start there: kids eager to see Moana and Maui reunite and sail the open seas will be disappointed by how little they actually interact in "Moana 2." It's a truly baffling decision, given the natural chemistry between Cravalho and Johnson that most people associate with the first film. It takes about an hour for Moana and company to work their way across Oceania and get to Maui just as he escapes Matangi's imprisonment, which makes far too much of Jared Bush & Dana Ledoux Miller's script feel like set-up. Kele, Loto, and Moni are fine, and who doesn't love quirky animal sidekicks? Kids will be wondering where Maui is for far too long.
They would probably get less restless if "Moana 2" had more adventure in general. While the film carries some notable, resonant cultural material, there's little actual adventure in what should be a story that amplifies Moana's burgeoning heroism. The gang encounters a tribe of coconuts and a giant clam, which are both cool designs, but there are few actual major events in "Moana 2" when one thinks about the sparse nature of the plot when it's done. Honestly, "Inside Out 2" has more old-fashioned adventure plotting, which is a true shame. This should be the movie that makes Moana into a truly heroic character, but the writers don't give her enough to do for that to happen.
They also don't give her enough to sing. Don't underestimate the power of a great song or two to really elevate the legacy of a Disney animated film. "Frozen" wouldn't have hit the same without "Let It Go," and the virality of that Bruno tune made "Encanto" a hit. When people think of "Moana," the joyful "You're Welcome" and the Oscar-winning beauty of "How Far I'll Go" are often what they think of first, and the original songs here just don't match the wonder of the original. To say that they really miss the involvement of Lin-Manuel Miranda would be an understatement. There's a playful Maui tune called "Can I Get a Chee Hoo?" that mostly works (and could maybe get that Bruno virality if the social team here plays it right), and you'll hear a reasonably rousing recurring theme called "Beyond," but neither will be pumping through Disney World like the best of these songs from the best of these movies.
If there's one thing that works about "Moana 2," it's the visual artistry that a 2020s Disney budget brings to a production like this one. You can almost touch the flowing water and feel the breeze as it moves through the hair of the characters, who are also individually well-designed. From Maui's tattoos to the colorful coconut tribe to the aforementioned clam, "Moana 2" is never boring to look at. It's eye candy, but the legend of Moana deserved something more nutritious.
