The original Moana (2016) was one of Disney’s best modern ‘princesses’, alongside Tangled (2010) and Frozen (2014). However, it has endured for almost a decade (8 years!) without any sequels up until now. Is Moana 2 good enough to justify the release of a sequel so many years later? Read on to find out.

You’re Welcome

The story of Moana 2 takes place three (3) years after the events of the first one, and a new call from the ancestors beckons her to embark on a new voyage. Beforehand, I was apprehensive of Moana 2 being a rehash with only Moana and Maui on another journey, but thankfully, the movie adds a new cast of characters who become the crew members joining Moana. As a result, the new journey in Moana 2 feels even more like a grand adventure and a proper voyage (that comes with a full crew instead of a solo adventure). A sequel is usually bigger and Moana 2 is definitely larger in sense of scale compared to the first movie. There are more action and epic setpieces this time around, featuring giant kaiju clams and new gods from Polynesian mythology. Moana 2 also benefits from adding more elements of Polynesian culture as part of the movie’s narrative and focus, which helps distinguish it from other recent generic Disney movies (cough Wish cough).

Back to the cast of characters, Auli’i Cravalho delivers a phenomenal performance as Moana. What adds value and credence to her role is that she grew alongside her character in real-time, originally voicing the character as a teenager and years later now as an adult. Funnily enough, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson also unironically delivers what is probably his best performance in recent years (compared to his more recent mediocre live-action roles). It would be remiss of me not to mention the rest of the amazing cast. Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda is adorable as Moana’s sister, Simea, adding another emotional element to the movie. Moana’s crew is also diverse in an interesting way, featuring Rose Matafeo as Loto (the genius), David Fene as Kele (the grumpy old man) and Hual?lai Chung as Moni (the Maui fanboy). They all fill certain stereotypical roles but they’re all fun to spend time with and show how much Moana has grown as a leader since the first movie.

Maui is more likeable in Moana 2 because while he seemed mostly useless in the first movie (with Moana having to help him every single time), Moana 2 sees Maui acting more like the demi-god he’s supposed to be and that’s more satisfying to watch. In addition to the new crew members, there are one or two new characters introduced in Moana 2 but these few feel more like they’re being saved for future potential sequels or spinoffs (yes, Moana 2 has a post-credits scene so look out for that). The ending of Moana 2 is a satisfying one and there are even vibes of Avatar The Last Airbender in there.

The biggest flaw/weakness of Moana 2 is that the songs and music in the movie aren’t as good in comparison to the first movie. While the composer remains the same in both movies (Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i), Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is no longer involved in Moana 2 (like he was in the first movie) and it certainly shows. There is no song as catchy as You’re Welcome in Moana 2. The best song in Moana 2 is the ‘flagship’ song, Beyond, sung by the lead character herself. While it matches the emotional strength of ‘How Far I’ll Go’, it’s ultimately not as instantly catchy. The other songs are mostly meh, but the highlights are the ones (they’re the best ones too) sung in Polynesian languages.

Wayfinder

2024 has been a brilliant year for animation overall, with Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot and Transformers One earlier this year. I’m happy to say that Moana 2 belongs in the same group, so it’s facing fierce competition and it’s going to be difficult to choose the best animated movie come 2025. As a conclusion, Moana 2 is a sequel worthy enough to be watched on any cinema screen. It’s an especially emotional experience if you watched the original Moana in 2016 like I did.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We attended a press screening of Moana 2 courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Malaysia. Moana 2 premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 28 November 2024.