Moana 2 Review: A Trip, Not A Journey
Theatrical Movie Release - Animation/Musical
The Hero’s Journey is one of the most common narrative templates. Joseph Campbell identified seventeen steps in it, and honestly, Moana 2 from directors David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller hits almost all of them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t connect those steps in a very satisfying way, particularly as a sequel to the original.
Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) has been taking her job as the wayfinder for her community seriously and has been using her skill to seek out other people to help support her island. When she finally uncovers an artifact proving that other people exist, her ancestor Tautai Vasa (Gerald Faitala Ramsey) tells her that she needs to go in search of the island of Motufetū. This is further away than she has ever sailed before, so this time she takes a crew with her, including Moni (Hualalai Chung) the historian, Loto (Rose Matafeo) the builder, and Kele (David Fane) the farmer.
Along the way, they find the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and recruit him to help defeat Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea'i), the entity that sunk Motufetū and is trying to keep all of the people separated. Moana will have to think outside of the box to keep her island safe and connect all of the people of the region.
Moana 2 has a lot of the elements that were in the first movie, but unfortunately, this time, they lack the purpose that was present in the original. Yes, Moana needs to find other people, but there is no apparent threat. Yes, there are stated reasons for the people she assembles for the journey, but they don’t add anything to the story until the exact moment that their special skill is called for. Yes, there is a villain to be defeated, but there is no apparent motivation for this villain. Even Maui is sidelined for the bulk of the movie, depriving us of the chemistry between him and Moana.
One of the biggest draws of the first movie was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s excellent soundtrack. Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, and Opetaia Foa'i try to fill those shoes, but despite some great performances from Cravalho and Johnson, the music just doesn’t measure up. It’s fine, but it’s not special.
On the plus side, this is a gorgeous film. The animators at Disney are incredibly talented, and their prowess is on display yet again with Moana 2. The colors are bright and vibrant and jump off of the screen. Even if you are not engaged with the story, the animation will draw you in.
Despite the stunning visuals, Moana 2 fails to recapture the magic of the original movie. While the Hero’s Journey often does entail a literal journey, it often reflects the internal path that the hero is following. In the first movie, what Moana faces personally is what allows her to heal Te Fiti. In this movie, the person who leaves is essentially the same as the person who returns, and that is a trip, not a journey.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on December 1, 2024.