An entertaining, visually appealing Disney sequel, Moana 2 delivers what families are seeking–harmless fun–while otherwise not looking to rock the boat.
What began as a Disney+ TV series has been converted into a feature-length film, and it sometimes shows. The humor is a little more slapstick, the story a bit more rough around the edges. The musical numbers don’t even attempt to aspire to the memorable tunes of the original. A seemingly big plot point and character are abandoned entirely, other characters underutilized.
And yet, Moana 2 is a lot of fun if you accept it for what it is: a family-friendly adventure that returns to the big screen one of Disney’s most popular characters. The music, while not groundbreaking, is still enjoyable. The plot, while a half-assed version of the last one, serves up enough action and excitement to get Moana back into the ocean and Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) into the sky.
In hindsight, it’s mystifying that Moana’s return was originally going to be a watch-at-home affair (not counting the live action version, which also stars Dwayne Johnson, that comes out in 2025). Disney has a versatile cast of characters who check the right boxes for diversity without the forced “wokeness” some say the corporation has been beholden to. More importantly, Moana’s world offers endless possibilities, and looks and feels entirely different from many of Disney’s other properties. And kids absolutely love Moana (I recently took my six-year-old to Disney on Ice, and she and others were more excited to see Moana than the Frozen characters).
So, while the conversion of Moana the TV show to Moana 2 isn’t without its flaws, it doesn’t really matter. Moana 2 looks beautiful and delivers everything families want or need from this harmless adventure. It may not discover new horizons, but it cuts through the water just fine.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.