Disney's Moana 2

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score : -

Opening : 28 Nov 2024

Runtime : 99 mins

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Rating	PG
Language	Englishwith no subtitles
Genre	Animation
Director	David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller
Cast	Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Alan Tudyk
Synopsis	Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” reunites Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.

REVIEWS

By InCinemas 28 Nov 2024

A sequel that explores complexities of familial love and duty.

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After 8 years since Moana (2016), we finally get to go on another butt-kicking sea adventure in Disney's Moana 2 with our titular heroine, the Polynesian teenage princess, as she answers an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors. She forms a new crew of charming misfits, and reunites with her demigod bestie, Maui to sail far into the Pacific oceans to save her people.

Originally conceived as a limited streaming series for Disney+, it has been reworked by David Derrick Jr, Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller, Christina Chen and Yvett Merino with the screenplay by Jared Bus as a theatrical sequel.

Moana 2 is set 3 years after the events of the first film and in the opening scene, we meet an older confident Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) who is still the same badass the audience knows and loves as she runs through a forest, leaps across a ravine and climbs on steep rock face with her trusty pig Pua having her back.

Looking every inch the classic hero with hair streaming in the wind, Moana surveys the vast surroundings of an island mountain she has come across. She blows into her conch, but no one answers. Despite Moana’s efforts, she is unable to find any other humans who lives elsewhere. By chance, thanks to her silly chicken friend Heihei (Alan Tudyk) Moana finds a piece of broken pottery offering proof that there are more people and other tribes out there.

Back home, the island of Motunui is thriving and Moana is a "living legend" with her own fanclub of “Moanables”, young girls who dress and style their hair like Moana and even go as fair as to find their own version of Pua. Her own younger sister, the adorable scene-stealing Simea (Khalessi Lambert-Tsuda) is a big fan and follows Moana around proudly as she is dubbed as “the future of Motunui”. Her father Tui (Temuera Morrison), Motunui's chief wishes to bestow upon Moana the title of Tautai, an honor for a skilled navigator and leader.

At the ceremony, Moana gets a bleak vision of Motunui's future should they fail to reconnect with other humans. She has to find the legendary island of Motufetu which used to connect all the oceans pathways and tribes of people but had been cursed and kept hidden, submerged deep in the sea behind raging storms by the human-hating god of storms, Nalo. She is faced with a difficult choice – to save her people from eventual extinction, Moana must go on a perilous journey which will take her farther than any of her ancestors have ever gotten. She risks not coming back to her family and her beloved island home if she goes on this journey. Thankfully, Moana is visited by her late grandmother Tala (Rachel House) who comforts and assures her that she is “…still here, just different” and provides Moana with encouragement.

Well, Moana does set sail with her motley crew, Loto (Rose Matafeo), an expert at constructing, deconstructing, and improving boats; Moni (Hualālai Chung), a strong man who likes to tell stories, and is a huge fan of Maui; and Kele (David Fane), an elderly grumpy farmer who cannot swim and hates songs, and of course, her animal friends Pua and Heihei to find the lost island of Motufetū. If only a hunky demigod is around to help them in this dangerous quest.

While Mona could desperately use his help, Maui (Dwayne Johnson) is in a pickle of his own, being tied up, literally, by Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a mysterious villainous “bat diva” exuding vampiric aura, whose motives are not quite clear.

The second part of the film deals with Moana's journey and ensuing chaos, including an extended encounter with the coconut-like warriors from the Kakamora tribe who are high seas pirates armed with paralyzing darts, and the dark vampiric Matangi while dealing with her bunch of hilarious misfit crew. The banter on board the ship is quite funny.

Wild things start to happen as their raft approaches the cursed island of Motufetu. There is no shortage of action as every other scene is a brush with disaster and near-capsizing. Our hero and her crew even gets stuck inside a colossal clam, Pinocchio-style for a while.

The final part of the film brings us the massive fight and an emotional catharsis set in motion by a struggle between the natural and supernatural worlds. Moana will need to tap deep into her beliefs and heroic strength to win. Can Moana overcome the obstacles, free Maui from captivity, follow Matangi’s advice to “get lost, cut loose, and lose your way” and reach the island of Motufetū to battle Nalo to lift the curse?

We love Moana’s character development from a headstrong teenager to an older sister making sacrifices to protect her sibling families and friends in face of adversity at great personal cost. The film explores complexities of familial love and duty and emphasizing that a true leader will put others before herself. Simply put, Moana 2 has lots of heartfelt emotions.

While the songs in this sequel are great, they are a little less catchy as those in the first film. The most impactful song is “Beyond” which has the most emotional depth and a catchy hook. You will float out of the cinema on a high and will be gobsmacked by the animation team for creating the beautiful, textured animation, which is both visually stunning, and insanely breath-taking. From the majestic waves to the vibrant marine and island life, every element is visually animated in a jaw dropping amplified scale and beauty.

Stay for the mid-credits scene as it will give you a hint of what’s next for Moana.
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Disney's Moana 2