Moana 2 review: A dry sequel to one of Disney’s modern greats

Moana 2 reunites Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson as Moana and Maui, but this oceanic sequel fails to make waves like its predecessor.

When Moana first arrived in 2016, it ticked many boxes for Disney devotees. There was a plucky young woman serving as a yearning underdog, a comedic partner in crime, and plenty of show-stopping tunes.

With Moana’s success coming in the form of $643 million at the box office and two Academy Award nominations, a sequel was inevitable.

Sadly, Moana 2 is a flimsy follow-up. The new movie is let down by several grating side characters and a soundtrack that fails to pack a punch. But even without these, Moana 2 would have toppled at the first wave anyway, all for one basic flaw: it has no purpose.

What is Moana 2 about?

Set three years after the events of the first Disney movie, the sequel begins with Moana as a seasoned wayfinder. After returning home with a new treasure in her hand, Moana becomes obsessed with the idea of finding other people. When an eerie vision comes to her during a storm, she realizes her community’s entire future depends on reconnecting with the people of the ocean.

So, she enlists a ragtag team of islanders to accompany her on her journey across the ocean to find the secret island of Motufetu, which is guarded by the (notably absent) god Nalo. Along the way, they recruit Maui and encounter a series of meaningless obstacles to get to their final mission.

A lackluster adventure

Aside from the obvious visual spectacle that is Moana’s lush islands and elegant ocean, this sequel doesn’t have much going for it. Moana 2 originally started life as a TV show, and that’s obvious once the sequential adventures start to kick in. Whether Moana and her crew are dealing with the Kakamora or attempting to outrun sea creatures, each scene feels episodic with no commitment to a wider idea or narrative.

The movie’s message is blurry as a result. Moana’s biggest lesson is to “find another way”, but this doesn’t change her as a person. Most of her difficulties are solved by conveniences or her often irritating crew of friends, which makes this version of Moana a far cry from the strong-willed and proactive girl we were first introduced to.

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One sequence serves to be completely pointless, involving a new antagonist-in-the-making, Matangi. In fact, there are no villains in Moana 2, with the looming thunderous presence of Nalo amounting to nothing at all.

Moana 2 does less with a lot more

Moana 2 attempts to up the ante with additional characters and plenty of musical numbers, but none of them make an impression. There’s Moana’s little sister, Simea, who is a thinly veiled device for cutesy moments that never land. Then there’s the new crew, made up of woodworker Loto, farmer Kele, and self-certified Maui fanboy, Moni.

Moana’s new friends don’t add much to the world other than to help Moana out of pickles. Some, like Loto, do have some use, but others like Kele are completely pointless. They, plus the return of Moana’s animal buddies, leave the adventure feeling overcrowded.

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As for the soundtrack, you will find no ‘How Far I’ll Go’s or ‘You’re Welcome’s here. Moana 2’s songbook is catchy at the best of times (with the admittedly rhythmic ‘What Could Be Better Than This?’) and poor imitations at the worst of times (Maui’s number, ‘Can I Get A Chee Hoo?’ is an unintelligible 2:50 minutes of stress).

Dexerto review score: 2/5

It’s possible that Moana 2 might have worked better as a TV show. But there would still need to be a lot of work done to this story, which ultimately relies on twists of fate and attempts at funny characters to keep itself afloat.

There’s nothing to hate here, but there’s nothing to love, either. The final act is an exciting and triumphant moment, but it’s not earned by any grueling tests of skill. It just happens, and while it’s a strong ending, it can’t outshine what is ultimately a forgettable and unimportant sequel.

Moana 2 releases in theaters on November 27 in the US and November 29 in the UK.

For more, see what’s going on with the live-action Moana movie and other live-action Disney movies. For more information on how we score TV shows and movies, check out our scoring guidelines here.