Well, everyone, today, we review Disney’s latest animated feature. Oh, but this time, it is a sequel, one to one of Disney’s biggest hits that was just released 8 years ago. Not only that, but it was originally a planned TV show that turned into a movie, likely due to the previous two Disney films, Strange World (2022), and Wish (2023) not performing so well at the box office. With that said, let’s discuss Moana 2, shall we?
Plot: Three years after the events of the first film, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) has a vision, given to her by one of her ancestors, in which she is told to bring up an island by the name of Motufetu, an island that connects other islands, but was sunk by a storm god named Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i) a while back. With the help of her old demigod friend, Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), and some newer friends, will Moana be able to raise up the island, and connect the islands, and their people once, and for all?
Well, with all the big box office numbers that this sequel to the 2016 hit has been making, does Moana 2 live up to the miraculous hype? Well, yes, and no! Here’s the thing! Moana 2 is a good sequel. I’ll give it that. However, there are some things that keep it from being a really great sequel. First of all, there were a couple plot holes this time around. Normally, that wouldn’t be the case, but there were some scenes that, let’s just say were strange, and didn’t exactly make sense, especially when it came to making certain connections with the first film. Additionally, some of the animation felt like something out of maybe a video game, or something like that. Not all of the animation was like that. It was mainly some dark scenes, and maybe even some lighting on some of the newer characters. I wish I could maybe better describe it, but that’s all I’ll say in that regard for now. Finally, there are the songs. Oh, don’t get me wrong, some of them are good, like “Beyond”, and “Can I Get A Chee Hoo”. Aside from those, not a lot of them seemed to have the same impact as say songs from the first film like “How Far I’ll Go”, or “Shiny”, or “Song Of The Ancestors”, for example, and don’t quite live up to their full potential as a result.
With all those said, was this film still good? Yes! I mean for a sequel that was originally supposed to serve as a string of episodes of a now scrapped TV show, it’s actually not so bad. Some of the newer characters were good, and you can really see growth in Moana, as well as other characters from the first movie. There were also some really interesting twists this time around as well. That is especially one that occurs near the end of this sequel. And, again, for the music, there are at least a couple songs as well. I’m not sure if the absence of Lin-Manuel Miranda kept this sequel from having almost as fantastic music as the first film, or something else. Oh well, either way! Additionally, it was nice to have another fun adventure with Moana, and the gang. I mean considering that this was originally supposed to be a series for Disney+, and then got scrapped into a movie, they did fairly well with making it into a movie. In fact, probably a little better than say when Disney had a similar problem with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, but turned part of that scrapped series into a direct-to-video sequel. There were also some very comedic moments in this film from characters like Hei Hei, and others. Even Maui, and a few additional characters, had some hilarious moments as well. Speaking of the characters, main, or side ones, Pua the Pig gets to join on this new venture with Moana, and the gang this time around. I mean since we didn’t get to see him much in the first film, that is one improvement for this sequel. As for the animation, though some of it may not have been the best, when it’s good, it’s really, really good. Finally, Moana 2 teaches some great lessons in teamwork, love, and compassion, and more.
And that’s my review for Moana 2. Even if not the best sequel, it still wasn’t so bad for what we got. Well, that is especially considering the background behind this sequel. Despite this sequel not quite being one of the best, or being as good as its predecessor, other than us getting more of side character Pua this time around, this sequel is still very good. It still has some good animation, characters with great singing voices, and the voice work behind them, and more. Oh, and make sure that you stay for a mid-credits scene in this film. You won’t want to miss it. Why? Well, let’s just say that you’ll find it surprising. Now, with this Disney film out of the way, will Mufasa: The Lion King end things on a fairly high note for Disney as well? We shall see!
Final Rating: 8.5/10
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 