Moana 2

Note: This review contains spoilers for Moana and Moana 2.

The success of Moana in 2016 meant an inevitable follow-up. In 2020, Disney originally announced such a follow-up as Moana: The Series, a five-episode long-form musical comedy series meant for Disney+ in 2023. During development, however, the team kept getting asked about putting it on the big screen to the point that in January 2024, the project had officially pivoted to a theatrical sequel with the original cast reprising their roles. Although the final film, Moana 2, released in November 2024 to mixed reviews, it still made over $1 billion against its budget of $150 million (a massive profit unless Disney’s accountants somehow believe otherwise). Based on word of mouth, I (fittingly) waited for the eventual Disney+ release so I could see the finished product for myself without potentially wasting good money watching it in a theater. As it turns out, Moana 2 really feels like five episodes of a TV series stapled together, making it the modern equivalent to the likes of Atlantis: Milo’s Return.

Three years after the original Moana, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) has spent her days in search of other people connected to the ocean. In a vision, her ancestor, Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), reveals that the malicious storm god Nalo sunk Motufetu, a legendary island that connects all others, down to the ocean depths. With the fear that the people of Motunui may face extinction, Moana sets out to find Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and raise Motufetu once more. 

Moana (Auli'i Cravalho, left) receives a vision from Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey, right).

Although the premise carries potential for an interesting follow-up, the execution falls flat compared with the original film. One issue is its expanded cast, with not only Pua joining in with Heihei (Alan Tudyk), but also three new characters: historian and Maui superfan Moni (Hualālai Chung), craftswoman Loto (Rose Matafeo) and the elderly farmer Kele (David Fane). Introducing new characters for the purpose of a journey story is fine, and the three do contribute to the plot every so often, but they feel rather one-note and although they learn how to work together more effectively, they don’t go through much character development by the end. They didn’t feel that endearing right away and I had a hard time getting attached to them regardless of their actions. As for Pua, his presence didn’t really add much and Heihei felt sidelined.

Out in the open sea, the Kakamora return in a way that works for the story and I liked the idea of one of them, Kotu, joining as part of the idea of connecting the ocean. However, another new character, an enforcer named Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) who can control bats, feels underutilized. Outside of a couple scenes, she doesn’t do much and is barely an obstacle once Moana meets her despite her initial presentation. The reason given makes sense, but it feels like a waste of a unique character, especially since we get to see some rather expressive fruit bats while she’s around.

As a comedy, Moana 2 is surprisingly lacking in laughs. Maui has some of the best lines, like referring to Pua and Heihei as “Bacon” and “Eggs” respectively, but the humor otherwise seems oddly localized around him. When he’s not onscreen, only a couple interactions had me laughing out loud, but not nearly as often as the original. Add to that how some of the dialogue felt a bit “modern” for the setting, including an out of place reference to “butt dialing” (“That’ll make sense in 2,000 years,” Maui says). If that wasn’t enough, the film tries really hard to force “Chee Hoo” into Maui’s marketable catchphrase (if it wasn’t already associated with him that way) despite only a couple utterances in the entire runtime of the original, even then only when transforming. There's even an entire song, "Can I Get a Chee Hoo?", dedicated to this purpose.

Moana's shipmates don't stand out much; L-R: Moana,
Kele (David Fane), Moni (Hualālai Chung), Loto (Rose Matafeo).

Speaking of the songs, if you’re looking for the next “How Far I’ll Go”, “You’re Welcome” or “Shiny”, you won’t really find it here. Although I’m not the biggest Lin-Manuel Miranda fan, at least as far as his Disney output is concerned, even I can admit that I felt his absence here. I couldn’t hum even a single tune after the credits rolled; not a good sign for a musical. The musical setpieces also seemed focused on topping the visuals from the original, but in a way that felt like the animators tried too hard to impress. It doesn’t help that the animation in general feels like a step down from the original despite having a similar budget, like it was originally meant for a streaming service.

The film’s biggest issue, in fact, is its pacing. I’m not sure I can disparage the film too much here, since it’s rather impressive that the team behind it did the best they could with handling such an unusual pivot in under a year. However, even when trying to view Moana 2 on its own terms, I couldn’t shake how it really did feel like five episodes stapled together. This creates some wonky pacing, as I could tell when each episode would have started or ended, even if it wasn’t as obvious as something like Milo’s Return. The tease during the credits for a third film/”Season 2” helped explain certain decisions, but only helped so much. As a series, I may have tolerated certain elements more or considered it a decent (if underwhelming) “streaming” show, but as a film I can’t ignore how the pivot created a lack of focus compared with its predecessor.

Despite everything I’ve said, Moana 2 isn’t completely without merit. The voice acting is still as good as ever, especially from Dwayne Johnson and Auliʻi Cravalho. It’s neat to have a main character age between installments, as it gives a good sense of the passage of time, something you hardly ever see in a Disney series. I still felt some suspense during the climax and found myself worrying about Maui and Moana’s fates. There’s some great visual continuity from the original, like how Moana still has the oar Maui signed and that Maui still has the tattoo he earned at the end of the original Moana. Plus, some of the big moments have some impressive shots. Tamatoa also makes a cameo, which at least ended the experience on a positive note.

A rather ominous shot before the climactic battle.

I don’t want to disparage Moana 2 too much, as the team behind it clearly did the best that they could with such unusual circumstances. However, since it doesn’t live up to the expectations that someone would have from a numbered sequel, I would still recommend sticking with the original Moana instead, but you may still get some enjoyment out of Moana 2 if you watch it like someone hit “Play All” on a series set.