Moana 2 is a totally fine way to spend a breezy 95ish minutes in a theater looking at very pretty animation featuring very likable characters. For that reason alone young kids will love it. (With that runtime, parents definitely will.) The problem for more discerning viewers is that while there’s really nothing bad about the film, there’s very little about Moana 2 that qualifies as really good let alone great. It’s humor isn’t groan-worthy, but it won’t make you laugh out loud, either. The film has great themes and an interesting plot, but both are underdeveloped. And while its original songs won’t make you cover your ears, you won’t want to listen to them again, either. The result of all that “okay-ness” is a sequel that knows what made the original beloved, it just didn’t know how to recapture the magic that made it special.
If you love Moana and Maui, there’s plenty of both to enjoy in their big screen followup. Auli’i Cravalho is still an incredible talent. And Dwayne Johnson remains a perfect choice for the big smug demigod. However, the two characters spend a lot less time together during this adventure. That’s because while Moana must set out on a journey to reunite the scattered people of the sea and save her people, Maui is trying to make sure she stays safe. He doesn’t want her involved with an ancient curse placed by the evil god Nalo, a villain mostly present in name only.
Keeping the two apart for some of this film actually works. Moana 2 mixes things up by giving its titular hero a crew to accompany her this vital adventure. They all have their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and goals, and make the film feel fuller. As is the film’s use of the Kakamora from the original. Those coconut-like pirates are far more interesting this time around in a way that serves the larger story well.
What doesn’t serve the story is that Moana 2 feels like it’s missing a handful of scenes that would have enriched some of the movie’s more poignant moments. The sequel has some beautiful ideas and hits some nice emotional beats. Those are easily Moana 2‘s best individual moments. And yet, they all could have landed with even more oomph if the film invested more time into its plot and themes. The film doesn’t feel rushed. It’s that the story had room to breathe and chose not to.
The sequel definitely would have benefitted from developing better original songs. With Lin-Manuel Miranda not returning, Moana 2 turned towards a new team for its musical numbers and their tracks capture the general “it’s fine” ethos that permeates the film. There’s not a genuinely bad song in the bunch. With the exception of one song they’re all decent or just…. meh. At least, that’s true of songs with words. The film’s score features some phenomenal compositions. They’re so good , they make the soundtrack extra frustrating in comparison.
There is one outstanding number that includes someone singing at least. It’s the Donna Summers-esque track “Get Lost” performed by Awhimai Fraser. She plays the mysterious Matangi, servant of Nalo and former love interest of Maui. Matangi is one of the best parts of Moana 2. Thanks to Fraser, Matangi’s a shot of energy and excitement every time she pops on screen.
There’s often no way to identify exactly why two movies starring the same great characters, both in an interesting story featuring superb animation, can feel so different. (A million tedious jokes about how a pet pig is potentially bacon doesn’t help!) The original Moana is magical and Moana 2 is lacking all of that magic even though it clearly “gets” why people love the first one. But that’s why we use the word “magic” when discussing the special spark that separates so much are. Some works have something always we can’t always measure or even explain. Only in this case it might not be much of a mystery of what happened.
Moana 2 is a movie that feels far more interested in a possible Moana 3 than it does itself. It features a self-contained story, and yet you can’t shake the sense this story is merely a necessary step to get to an even better one. That focus on the future holds the present back, as though Moana 2 doesn’t care enough about itself to deliver something special unto itself.
I had that feeling throughout the movie and the ending seemed to vindicate my feelings. A single post-credits scene then confirmed them. Is that because (which I did not know before my screening) Moana 2 was originally supposed to be a Disney+ series? Maybe. Probably? But I don’t care about the “why,” I only care about the film I actually saw, and whatever it was supposed to be Moana 2 ended up being a totally okay film. If you accept it for what it is, rather than what it’s not, you’ll have a better time watching Moana and Maui team-up again. Totally okay can be good enough if you let it.
Moana 2 sails into theaters on November 27, 2024.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.