Here I am, the sequel defender! I didn’t set out to claim this title, but it’s simply occurred this way. Disney went for over 60 years only producing one animated feature sequel (The Rescuers Down Under in 1990), and now we have many more, cynically decided to be a cash in on IPs. But I’ve liked Ralph Breaks the Internet, Incredibles 2, Frozen 2(!), where others have not. And Moana is such a better movie the Frozen anyway, while the latter gets all the accolades, and I will fight you on this 💪 I’ve already heard reviews for this sequel ranging anywhere from great, to an early 2000s Disney sequel VHS trainwreck that’s found its way to the big screen; either way, I think fans of the original will all agree on thing when it comes to a Moana sequel – just give the damn pig something to do!
Finding solace as a wayfinder for her community, Moana cannot believe she still hasn’t come across any new peoples out on the neighbouring islands. She recovers a bowl, with human markings on it, confirming that there are other peoples out there somewhere; but where? During a village ceremony, Moana is struck by a mystic power, visited by her ancestor, Tautai Vasa, and informed that there is a jealous God, Nalo, that is keeping the humans apart, and she must travel further beyond the shoreline than anyone has gone before, to restore the ocean pathways for all peoples. Moana has reservations, in leaving her community behind again, but urged to put a crew together, she must answer the call to new adventure… Oh, and Maui, the demigod, may show up along the way too 😁
Moana 2 is missing its rev, its emotional stimulus. And it’s a bit like Inside Out 2, with a tonal fluctuation, as if the movie is moving forward and simultaneously working out why at the same time – work that really should be concreted in the planning stage, and not cobbled together by production on the run. For one example, Maui goes from telling Moana that her mission is impossible, and that she and her crew will certainly die, to singing a song about Moana just needing to be confident, in only a scene or two later 🙄 I think this movie is suffering from a now calculatable downside of sequelitus, trying to cover a mandate, manufacturing a product to collect that sequel cash, where the original successor has already locked in certain parameters, characters, or expectations, and therewithin, a sequel may know exactly where it needs to deliver, but is shaky on the essence of how it’s going to get there. Like, I have no investment in any scenario where Moana might perish, and Maui cries for a moment to check unearned emotionality, because it’s not going to happen – Moana 2 is not going to kill Moana, ladies and gents, and kiddies of all ages 😤 I might be intrigued by an endpoint where Maui loses all his tattoos, and Moana attains tattoos to be a demigod in her own right, but a driving focus still needs to be there, and the journey must be delivered in a thrilling way.
Clearly, I have notes, but can I just take this opportunity to state how awesome Moana’s initial batch of characters are?! Their depth feels like classic Disney, more than anything that has come out this century. The ocean reminds me of Aladdin’s magical carpet, in the way it is mystical, silent, cheeky, and forever helpful. Maui’s animated tattoo is like something familiarly Disney too, something Robin Williams inspired, but I can’t quite put my finger on what 🤔 Moana’s grandmother spirit, Tala, reminds me of Willow, the wise tree in Pocahontas; and Moana’s animal sidekicks are staples of classic Disney, and probably given the same screentime of Meeko, Flit, and Percy, in Pocahontas too. The legends and Gods are as mighty as the titans of Hercules, especially in the first movie. But the new characters introduced in Moana 2 may prove instantly forgettable. Loto, Moni, and Kele don’t separate themselves, in my mind, from the shocking awful partners Buzz finds himself in Lightyear – this ragtag crew might be useful for one note, but just simply aren’t likable 😕 I reckon they should’ve been recontextualized as leaders of the homeland’s newest strand of wayfinders, brought together for the first time as Moana’s daring mission called upon the best. I like the song where they all discover how to work together, but it could’ve just as easily been about how they are all used to doing things their own way, instead of them being negative or incompetent on a boat. The famer may be exempt from this change, but the other two, definitely. The only new character I really liked is the coconut, who is really an old character, repurposed as a simple silent sidekick, to kick butt and look tough whenever the need arises.
I don’t think this movie puts enough emphasis on its villain either – it’s a purple cloud in the sky, with no personable features until an end credits scene, as if Nalo were Thanos sitting on his grandiose throne 👎 I was properly stimulated by the thought of Matangi being a classically vile Disney villain though, but the idea that she’s a threat to Moana is over just as quickly as it arrives ☹ Some have suggested that in Moana 2, the songs suck, and while they’re not as good as the first movie, no doubt, I found them passable, although they don’t work to serve the wider movie. Here’s another example of that directional disparity I’ve been talking about – Moana is clearly about Moana discovering who certain people are, and what they’re capable of being; but what is Moana 2 about? How there’s “always another way”? It’s thin as theme, but it’s there. So what’s with the villain/not so villainous song being about “getting lost”? 🤷♂️ I’m not for it, I do not stan! It’s like the songs were written ahead of time, and plugged in to an everchanging story unsettled in its flow. Matangi is really underutilised, and I found her presence unclear. Here’s how I see the bones of her purpose, and correct me if I’m wrong – she’s trapped Maui knowing Moana is coming their way. She knows Moana will need Maui’s help to lift the desired island, and that he won’t want to help. She holds Maui as Moana gets to them, for the duo to go through the portal together. She’s not holding Maui as bait, as Maui thinks, but awaiting Moana with Maui 👍 That’s all well and good, but I’m not sure if the movie is ever clear where this motivation is consolidated; or that Maui ever realises that it wasn’t about him at all. I was confused. Maybe it happened too quickly.
And I wonder if the movie ever baulked at my next suggestion – through the movie’s promotional material, I may’ve contemplated that Sina might be Moana’s daughter in this movie, as the island’s new sweet little girl. And now having seen the movie, I do think that my idea would’ve been so much better for the story! The movie could still start the same, with Moana on a mental break, exploring a separate island and finding the bowl. But when Moana is called upon again, to cross vast oceans, the stakes are higher because she has a daughter to leave behind, instead of a sister, who would still have parents if Moana doesn’t come back 😕 A daughter makes Moana’s bond to Sina stronger, as well as the concern Moan expresses to nanny-spirit, about being older and realising deeper connections and responsibilities. Another purposeful reason for this change is because we’ve had the sister story done to death, in Frozen, and all related materials 😄 I cannot name a single Disney heroine who is a mother, and an action hero at the same time. It’s like Bond (James Bond), trying to find a new way to produce similar content for 60 years, and this would’ve been a change for a Disney animated classic to behold. But I guess, The Wild Robot, be the only animated movie giving motherhood a spotlight in this current year 😮
Moana 2 is definitely a movie that could’ve been improved with a few more once-overs. It’s trying its best to movie, but its efforts don’t match the outcome. It’s not horrible, like something we call Strange World, that bungles its message, and leaves a sour taste in not coming together. Why, Moana 2 is just mid – a fitful spectacle for returning characters, although it’s doubtful I’ll be rushing to watch Moana 2 again, after finishing rewatching Moana. I think the saddest part, adjacent to all this misadventure, is how the Moana franchise has Nicole Scherzinger voicing Moana’s mother across two movies now, and never finds a reason for the Pussycat Dolls diva to belt out a tune 😱 Notes for Moana 3? We shall see… I would also like to say how this movie has about twice too many callbacks to the first movie, visually and vocally, across its runtime – Moana 2 isn’t over-reliant on what has come before, more proud of the previous achievement that gave this sequel a chance, but in constantly referring to the past, it allows for limit opportunities for new life to grow.
3.0
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