Moana 2 (2024)
PG ‧ Family/Adventure ‧ 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Story by: Jared Bush; Dana Ledoux Miller; Bek Smith Screenplay by  Jared Bush & Dana Ledoux MillerDirected by  Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand, David Derrick Jr.

THE CAST

Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, and Alan Tudyk, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser, and Gerald Ramsey.

THE STORY

(In their own words).  Three years after the first film’s events, Moana receives an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors and forms her own crew, reuniting with her friend, the demigod Maui. As they journey to the far seas of Oceania to break the god Nalo’s curse on the hidden island of Motufetu, which once connected the people of the ocean, they confront old and new foes, including the Kakamora and underworld goddess Matangi.

THE BEST

The BEST things about the film

1. It’s a funny and fun film.

2.Animation is absolutely incredible.

3. Quick runtime. 

THE WORST

The WORST things about the film

1. Uninspiring, Unnecessary, and adds nothing. 
2. Songs are not memorable. One is downright bad. 
3. Dwayne Johnson seemed to be phoning in the movie.
4. Big bad doesn’t work. 

THE COMMENTS

It’s been a while since I felt so disappointed by Disney. This film was a sequel I have been looking forward to, and while I can’t say I had a bad time, this has to be the most memorable and uninspiring Disney animated film I’ve seen. 

In one song by Dwayne Johnson, he just spoke the whole song. It seemed to me like he was talking during the parts that were supposed to be sung and then just “talked fast” when he was supposed to be rapping. It felt like Mr Johnson just didn’t care. And maybe he didn’t when presented with such poor music to perform. Lin Manuel Miranda’s absence in the film is very noticeable. I could tell from the first song that it wouldn’t be as good as the first one. 

Sequels are hard; I get that. Origin stories are just naturally more interesting, but it felt like they did have good things to mine here, but the execution was just not great. I think it’s also a sign of potential trouble whenever you see more than one director for a film.

What the film does well is bring laughter. I brought my 8-year-old daughter to the film, and she laughed throughout the film, or at least when it wasn’t too scary. Yes, the film was fun to watch and funny, and it was nice to revisit the characters from the past. It’s a quick film, and it’s pretty to watch. Aside from Dwayne Johnson’s song, they all have lovely voices to listen to. 

THE LESSON

People need to stay connected. 

IS IT REWATCHABLE

Yes. You probably have to rewatch it to remember the film. 

THE FINAL WORD

Moana 2 reunites familiar characters in a visually stunning, funny, and fast-paced adventure, but it falls flat in originality and impact. The songs are unmemorable, with one awkward performance by Dwayne Johnson standing out for the wrong reasons. While the film delivers laughs and moments of fun, it feels uninspired and lacks the original’s magic, especially without Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical touch. It’s worth a watch for kids and fans of the first film, but don’t expect it to leave a lasting impression.

THE VERDICT

My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

I’ll give it a soft “like it.”

THE TRAILER