‘Moana 2’ Review: Rough Seas and a Waterlogged Narrative Sink Choppy Sequel

The 2016 release of Moana was one of the highlights of Disney’s animated film output of the 2010s. It features tuneful, emotive songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, a moving story, and even served as a balm for many after a contentious national election. Now, Moana 2 sails into theaters after being infamously reworked from what was supposed to be a limited television series streaming on Disney+. Desperately in need of an animated hit after the lackluster box office returns of Lightyear, Strange World, and Wish, among others, it’s clear that Disney is hoping that a return to the saltwater well of Moana will pack audiences into theaters. Unfortunately, unlike the first film, it features unmemorable, uninteresting songs by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, an unfocused story, and isn’t even attention-holding enough to serve as a distraction after a contentious national election. 

One positive element that does remain from the first film is the character of Moana (Auli‘i Cravalho) herself. She’s still the same headstrong, determined girl that was first introduced eight years ago, but now she’s the leader of her people and a renowned Wayfinder. When the movie opens, she’s confidently exploring neighboring islands in search of other civilizations. Upon her return to her home island Motunui, she unexpectedly receives a vision from her ancestors. She’s warned that if she doesn’t venture out in pursuit of the wicked god Nalo, disaster will befall her island. She sets out on a journey, and once again, there’s no telling how far she’ll go.

In the first film, the only Motunuian to join Moana on her adventure was Heihei – a chicken who brings new meaning to the term “bird brain.” This time, she’s joined by a trio of villagers – grumpy old man Kele (David Fane), handy young woman Loto (Rose Matafeo), and a brawny story keeper named Moni (Hualālai Chung). Each has a designated role on the boat, although their clashing personality types threaten to end their voyage before it’s barely begun. And of course, it’s not long before Moana is reunited with her former companion, the shapeshifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson).

Clearly, Moana’s got an overly crowded boat full of big personalities. The characters of Kele and Loto are particularly irritating. Kele’s repeated bit is that he hates whenever other characters burst into song or show any sort of generalized exuberance – he’s a cliche found in too many modern, knowing musicals. And Loto has a strange penchant for tearing the boat apart with a small hatchet, causing destruction in the name of supposedly making their vessel better. Inevitably, this pays off later in the film, but until that point, it’s an unnecessarily chaotic character trait. Moni is the only endearing member of the crew, although ironically, he seems to have the least to do in terms of actual boat duties.

Perhaps these characters’ personalities would organically smooth out across the course of, say, a multi-part streaming series. This is one of several areas where forcing what was supposed to be a longform television show into a less-than-two-hour film proves to be an awkward endeavor. The film’s pace is particularly poor. Once Moana and company hit the high seas, they fall into a repetitive run of misadventures and conflicts that each feel as if they were meant to be the climax of an individual episode. The many limp action scenes seem to exist only to fulfill a per-episode mandate for thrills. And the film’s clunky editing betrays its uncinematic origins. One early scene where Moana is visited by the ghostly form of her beloved grandmother Tala (Rachel House) is manically cut in a particularly perplexing way. This uncomfortable, unsteady energy carries throughout the entire film – insert your “choppy waters” joke here.

It can’t be understated how much of a downgrade the songs in Moana 2 are from those of the first film. Miranda’s specialty is writing melodically interesting songs full of big passionate emotion. The songwriting team of Barlow and Bear, most famous for writing the Grammy-winning The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical for TikTok, are clearly indebted to Miranda’s general sound from the first film, but fail to effectively recapture the magic of his songs. Moana’s big power ballad in this film is titled “Beyond.” Unlike the previous film’s parallel song – the stirring, invigorating “How Far I’ll Go” – “Beyond” doesn’t build in any sort of exciting manner, instead falling flat. Cravalho’s voice has only gotten richer since the previous film, and she gives the number her best shot, using her talent to lend it an energy that it’s otherwise lacking. The film’s best song is the peppy “What Could Be Better Than This?”, but even this fun group number falls victim to an issue commonly found not just in this film’s tunes, but in modern pop writing in general. It’s written in such a way that the accented emphasis of many of the lyrics falls awkwardly on the wrong syllable. Johnson gets another chance to vocalize with his motivational number “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” Singing could hardly be called Johnson’s greatest strength, but for better or worse, he’s always one to take on a challenge. But the lyrics to this song are particularly inelegant. The repeated refrain of “Come on-a, Moana, go get your destiny” is not only clunky, it begs the question – didn’t she already solidify her destiny in the previous film? Best not to ask such things about a half-formed sequel like this.

Moana 2 never overcomes its unorthodox off-screen origins to deliver a compelling, singular story. Even as it crests to its grand finale, it only inspires a feeling of “that’s it?” Its uninspired plot floats adrift, rudderless, and without an anchor. Where’s a trusty ocean guide when you need one?

Grade: D+

Walt Disney Pictures will release Moana 2 only in theaters on November 27.