MOANA 2 – Long Awaited Sequel Floats Adrift

By Harrison J. Bahe

After receiving an unexpected call from her way-finding 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.

It’s been eight years since the first Moana came out. The original boasted so much heart, amazing visuals, catchy tunes, and even gave representation to Polynesian islanders. Heck, every so often, you’ll find me saying, “you’re welcome,” in a sing-song voice. Not to mention the wildly visual segment involving Tamatoa, a giant disco ball-esque crab voiced by Jeremaine Clement. There’s been plenty of time between the original and the sequel to give the audience a break. There’s certainly been a longer time for Disney to develop an engaging story that Moana could take. Unfortunately, that is where this long awaited sequel floats adrift.

There is no denying that Moana 2 features some impressive animation. Falling in line with recent Disney digital animations, the entire film is slick and smooth and its design is something to be applauded. However, its story seems a bit unnecessary and uninspired. This may be something that its target audience, i.e. little kids and their parents who bring them to the movie, probably wouldn’t care about. Alas, I am a 35 year old man critiquing a children’s movie, but it should be noted that the same couldn’t be said about other recent children’s animated movies like the wildly impressive The Wild Robot, the heart touching Inside Out 2, and the raucous Shakespearean robot epic Transformers One. Each of those films had their own strength and had the ability to stand on their own; they were able to deliver a powerful story which felt engaging and most importantly had some heart and soul. Moana 2 feels like just another plug-and-play adventure. Just another mission to complete for Moana to save her people, or in this case, reconnect her people. I can’t even quite recall a catchy tune from this sequel as much as I can its predecessor. I mean, I can’t really recall a song from Wicked – Part One either but what that film lacks in memorable show tunes (remember, songs with lyrics aren’t my forte), it makes up for with impressive visuals, showy choreography, and powerful performances. Moana 2 just sort of floats on by.

Moana 2 may be a subpar follow up to a far better first film, but the film is visual enough to entertain the kiddos for 100 minutes. I must admit though that I did watch Moana 2 in very unfavorable circumstances. You see, I watched it in 3D at Harkins Scottsdale 101 and the projector was glitching which caused the second layer of the 3D plane to constantly flicker causing the 3D effect to remain ineffective. As a result, the entire screen flickered like an old tube TV which caused a slight headache to nearly everyone in the theater. I ended up watching the entirety of the film without the 3D glasses so the background elements were blurry. Perhaps the less than favorable viewing experience may have negatively impacted my enjoyment of the film, but it appears I don’t stand alone when it comes to my views on Moana 2. Many other critics are saying similar things. It features impressive animations, a less than engaging story, and quirky antics that primarily come from the animal characters (especially from the anthropomorphic coconuts known as the Kakamora), which is why I give Moana 2—

3.5 Oars out of 5

Moana 2 is Rated PG for action/peril and is currently playing in movie theaters nationwide.