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In recent years, Hollywood studios have become manufacturers of unnecessary sequels. Sequels “Despicable Me 4” and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” are designed as cash grabs rather than original narratives. Despite smashing Thanksgiving box office records, “Moana 2” fails to live up to the original, as it was an unsatisfying and forgettable watch.

As part of the launch of Disney+, “Moana 2” was first proposed as one of the streaming service’s original TV series in 2020 following its predecessor. However, when Disney CEO Bob Iger saw the sequel’s early footage, Iger felt it deserved big-screen treatment.

The film begins with Moana on one of her voyages where she discovers a broken clay bowl on an uninhabited island, signifying the existence of life beyond her tribe. She returns home to share the news and embarks on a mission to find other islanders across the ocean.

With a promise to her ancestors of reconnecting the island and the rest of the ocean, Moana gathers a crew, including her pets Pua the pig and Heihei the chicken (Alan Tudyk). She reunites with the bewitching and chiseled demigod, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and starts her most daunting adventure yet. But it proves to be a flat build up.

The crew also includes Loto (Rose Matafeo), an innovative and enthusiastic canoe builder, Kele (David Fane), an elder farmer who depicts the typical “grumpy old man” persona, and Moni (Hualalai Chung), a loveable storyteller and Maui’s fan.

“Moana 2” pivots from its original by introducing a new slate of characters. What felt like an attempt for audiences to be charmed by new characters, though, turns out to be an underdeveloped way for the film to set itself apart from the original.

Ilana Zahavy | Design Editor

While each character was chosen to be part of Moana’s crew for their respective skill set, they add little to the film’s emotional appeal. Most of their commentary feels forced and disjointed. The disconnect between the new crew and the audience stems from the narrative’s odd pacing.

The film introduces new characters with the song, “We’re Back,” and depicts their personalities in “What Could Be Better Than This?” Besides the two songs, we don’t see much of them elsewhere. This prevents the characters from creating vulnerability with the audience.

Without enough time allocated to learn about Loto, Kele and Moni, they’re left latent characters, wasting the potential of becoming the island’s dream team.

Another character flawed by the film’s underdevelopment is Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a subordinate of the main villain, Nalo the storm god. Matangi was first introduced as the main antagonist before Moana, Maui and the crew met Nalo.

Throughout the first half of the film, Matangi is portrayed as a mysterious villain who captures Maui in an underwater dungeon inside a monstrous clam’s belly. Later, Moana and her crew are also swallowed by the clam and become separated. Moana meets Matangi while her crew simultaneously meet Maui for the first time.

While audiences thought they would see Moana fall into a trap set by Matangi, it’s revealed in the musical number “Get Lost” that Matangi had been planning to help Moana and her crew accomplish their mission. Though the song intended to serve as a twist for Matangi’s character, the drawn out beat was confusing to follow.

With Matangi’s purpose obsolete, the film lacked any villainous threat. Nalo becomes a giant storm in the clouds whose only abilities are to cause colossal lightning strikes and tornadoes. While sound and visual effects exemplified Nalo’s threatening spirit, the lack of a personified evil being made the outcome of the film feel shallow and disappointing. It’s difficult to take a villain seriously when the only time you see them is in the sky or on a painted cloth.

Despite its faults, “Moana 2” left audiences in a surprisingly tear-jerking state. Moana’s bravery and love for her island was beautifully captured and apparent throughout the two films.

When we first see Moana, she’s a child reluctantly chosen by the ocean to save her island. Her bravery has since flourished and in the sequel she’s determined to go through dangerous terrains to reunite her island with others.

Cravalho displayed yet another brilliant vocal performance as her musical talents and dominating cadence stole the hearts of the audience. The overarching character development, coupled with Cravalho’s powerful performance, created an inspiring heroine.

Like his co-star, Johnson’s magnetic performance of Maui left audiences wanting more of his infectious personality. Johnson’s cheeky traits conjured up laughs from the audience. Maui’s quirks and Moana’s endearing spirit reminded us of their adorable dynamic that carried on from the original film and yet, we couldn’t get enough of it.

While “Moana 2” had good performances from Cravalho and Johnson, a more pressing matter was the lack of memorable songs throughout the film. The film lacked Disney quips throughout the soundtrack, with songs like “Get Lost” doing little to move the plot forward.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s absence in making the soundtrack was extremely evident. Whereas the prequel had clear standouts such as “You’re Welcome,” and “How Far I’ll Go,” “Moana 2” was missing star-quality hits. The soundtrack lacked substance, catchy beats and Miranda’s distinct style. While the original film shines in its authentic soundtrack, the sequel doesn’t have much flair.

In “Moana 2,” its lackluster soundtrack overshadows the film’s major assets, including Moana and Maui’s comical relationship and an ending that will leave you choked up. While Disney magic can smash box office records, it does little to create a sequel that lives up to its original.

Published on December 3, 2024 at 10:46 pm