REVIEW: Moana 2 – Disney’s long-awaited sequel is anticlimactic and underwhelming
Written by Sam Clark on 1st December 2024
To give some brief context, the first Moana proved to be a smash hit at the box-office, grossing six hundred and forty million dollars, having cost one hundred and fifty million dollars to make. However, it was such a hit on streaming that the sequel was planned to be on Disney Plus which is something that, in and of itself, I was rather surprised by for two reasons. Firstly, why wouldn’t you release it into cinemas again when it made the money it did and, secondly, the basic and simple fact that films are better experienced in cinemas as that is where they belong.
It was also even rumoured to be a TV series at one point too, which is another decision I would have found odd. Regardless, seven years later, here we are. Set three years after the events of the first film, ‘Moana’, once again voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, is set on finding other tribes in the ocean to join forces with. She discovers that there was an island that connected all islands together until it was besieged by a god. In a plot not too dissimilar from the story of the lost city of ‘Atlantis’, she discovers the island was sunk and it sits at the bottom of the ocean.
Once again, she must join forces with Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Maui’ and the two set out to find this island, break the curse and reunite the tribes of the ocean once more. I loved the first Moana. One of the best things about it is that we had a female Disney character who was not your usual Disney princess – which ‘Maui’ does joke about in both films. Here, she is still a strong, heroine who protects her people and is not looking for a handsome prince to fall in love with or save her, which is great.
Dwayne Johnson was good as ‘Maui’ the first time around and still brings plenty of likeable charm and this is a character who is clearly close to his heart. I think the songs from the first are great, my favourite being ”How Far I’ll Go” which I still listen to occasionally. The animation here is still top-notch and quite breathtaking to look at, with some dazzling set pieces that are visually fantastic. However, Moana 2 was disappointing and made even worse by an awful viewing experience which I’ll come to.
Since the original plans for the film were for it to be released for streaming, in the end it felt like a TV movie which is something I cannot believe I am saying about a sequel to Moana. It has none of the heart of soul as its predecessor and, in fact, has a story that not only feels weaker and lazier than the first, but feels rushed. The first had some beautiful moments of emotional impact that worked so well yet that was virtually non-existent here. In terms of Disney musical standards, the fact that I could not tell you any of the song names or recite the lyrics is a big issue.
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They are so clearly trying to better what has come before with new tunes and they just can’t do it, and they know it. The reason being? Lin-Manuel Miranda is not involved which proved very detrimental here. Each time a song came on, I was ready to hear it yet it had none of the feeling of before. Much to my surprise, it also appeared to be ripping off a couple of other children’s films – Dreamwork’s Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters – in its portrayal of some of it’s characters as well as set-pieces that just came off as lazy.
The film proving to be a disappointment was bad enough, but the final nail in the coffin was when this turned out to be the worst cinema experience I have ever had. I wish I was being dramatic or making this up when I say that I almost walked out because it got that bad. I’ve sat through some bad ones, but this time it got to the point when I almost had to leave as I am beyond fed up with it now. Being at fan screenings is one of the best things in the world, everyone is completely quiet. Here, it was completely packed and everyone had clearly seen Moana and are fans of the characters and the world. However, you would think it would be silent, yet this was the worst example of people treating a cinema as if it were their own home I’d ever seen, despite several loud shushes from other people.
Multiple times a camera flash- that was almost brighter than the actual screen – went off from the same individual as well as three different groups of people all loudly talking to each other at the same time, including randomly screaming at the film. Every single time the film got even slightly quieter, I just held my breath waiting for something to happen, and it of course did. The weirdest thing I have found is that family showings and films always seem to be the worst. It seems as though people seem to think that they can behave how they want for films aimed at young children, yet it is never the youngest of cinemagoers who are the issue. For any film you go into, no matter the demographic, you are quiet and not disruptive.
Even with the youngest of kids, it is understandable how they act. Here, as it always is, it was teenagers and slightly older kids who could not behave as well as a four year-old can. Moana 2 does not work in general, but I would say that some of the reason I was so disconnected is that I simply could not concentrate on what was going on because of those around me. I should also say that I was thankful that the speakers were as loud as they were as had they been even a little quieter, it would’ve been a bigger issue.
In the end, for a follow up for a film that was as great as Moana was, it feels anticlimactic, underwhelming, disappointing and certainly not worth the wait. Regarding the live-action version of Moana, I do think it is greedy from Disney to do it this quickly, but I hope that it will be able to replicate the emotion and love we got the first time. Regarding the cinema etiquette – which in the past few years has been getting worse- this was the first time I was left properly angry by it and the most upsetting factor is that it will only get worse.
2/5
In cinemas now.
