Released on November 27, “Moana 2” follows familiar characters Moana and Maui, along with a small crew, to find a lost island called Motufetū, in order to unite the lost people of the ocean.
The original film, “Moana” came out November 23, 2016 and featured beautiful animation, a catchy soundtrack and a well-written plot.
According to The Walt Disney Company, “since hitting theaters in 2016, ‘Moana’ has consistently been among the Top 10 most-streamed movies of the year and in 2023, the film starring the voice talents of Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson crossed 1 billion hours streamed on Disney.”
The “Moana 2” storyline picks up three years after the ending of the first movie, when Moana had voyaged beyond waters familiar to her and restored the Heart of Te Fiti, a stone that held the power to create life.
While her age is one obvious difference from the original film, another new aspect to the movie is Moana’s little sister, Simea who joined a list of new characters.
The addition of Simea added a heartfelt, sibling dynamic which positively accompanied Moana’s original relationships and influenced her way of life.
As the movie progresses, the idea that Moana has a little sister waiting for her at home helps create suspense as Moana braves the oceans full of monsters, waves and most importantly, Nalo, the god of storms who is trying to prevent Moana from uniting the lost people of the sea.
As well as the new characters and plot, “Moana 2” features news music that celebrates Polynesian history and culture.
The movie features songs such as “We’re Back,” “Beyond,” “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” and “Tulou Tagaloa (Sei e Va’ai Mai).”
While these songs are unique to the second movie, they have a different vibe than the first “Moana” and are not as beautifully and delicately incorporated as some of the songs featured in the first film.
Another downfall seems to be the pacing of the plot. The movie starts off slow and it takes a while to get into the challenges faced, but is then rushed to the conclusion once a couple of obstacles are faced.
“Moana 2’ is one hour and 40 minutes, Some of the plot and character development issues could have been solved if the movie had been made a little longer.
Overall, the new messages of self love, motivation and bravery outshine the shortcomings of the movie and bring new points to light.
