One of the best things Disney did this year was course correct to give Moana 2 a shot at the big screen. The Thanksgiving release delivers, sailing beyond expectations in an exciting adventure filled with so much heart and joy.
The follow up to the 2016 original starring Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho—now the Disney+ platform’s most-streamed movie—is a sequel worthy of comparison to other solid franchise follow-ups like Empire Strikes Back and Paddington 2. It’s truly unfathomable that Disney Animation’s latest was, at some point in its life, slated to be a streaming series before the studio’s decision to pivot—a swooping save from what could have been quite the Moana bag fumble.
Moana 2 opens up the world of the original film in some fascinating ways, returning to the journey of heroes Moana and Maui. Their relationship is now defined by an even more electric buddy chemistry, suffusing the film with an off-the-charts level of charm that readily picks up where the first film left off. Cravalho shines in particular, with a more mature Moana stepping into her power as a leader—aided by a suite of new songs to empower her as one of Disney’s best modern heroines, thanks to a killer new soundtrack from Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, and Opetaia Foa’i (taking over from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work on the original film).
Of course, Johnson as Maui also gets his own share of catchy new tunes too, to help him inhabit his mentorship role to Moana. The comfortable way that the actor slips into the character makes us all the more intrigued by just how he’ll play the character in Disney’s upcoming Moana live-action remake.
While Moana and Maui carried the first film, their relationship is only enhanced in the sequel by an endearing ensemble of new friends and sidekicks. The new crew, composed of Moni (Hualālai Chung) the history-keeper and storyteller; Loto (Rose Matafeo), the savvy boat engineer; and Kele (David Fane), the cook, join up with our lead duo on a new quest to find the fabled sunken island of Motufetū, in the hopes of uniting more of the islands together in a mission of exploration. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some familiar faces along for the ride either, with both Hei Hei (Alan Tudyk) and Pua the adorable pig in tow, with much more cutesy screentime to boot.
Together, their relationship as an unlikely team forms the heart of Moana 2, as they come together to prove humanity’s worth in the face of mysterious and powerful god-like entities who would rather keep Oceania’s island communities cursed and separated. This element of scale is what really builds Moana 2 up from the original: the Kakamora are the least of Moana and Maui’s problems this time around. The goddess Matangi, a fearsome figure from Maui’s past, is just one of the threats the team faces this round, before Moana 2 reveals its true antagonist, one that deepens the original film’s messages of reconnecting with your roots while expanding Moana‘s world in some intriguing ways.
While we’ll always wonder what Moana‘s future would’ve looked like as a streaming TV series, Moana 2 more than makes the case for its transformation into a big-screen feature. Its stellar animation, paired with a heartfelt story that builds on the original in terms of both character and worldbuilding, shares a timely message that speaks to the power and importance of collaboration. Even as Disney prepares to revisit the original in live-action, hopefully Moana 2 is an indicator of just how much worth there is in continuing to champion this series as one of its modern animated classics.
Moana 2 opens in theaters November 27.
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