‘MOANA 2’ Is Pure Disney+ Complacency

A limp and uninspired sequel that lacks a reason to exist and memorable tunes, Moana 2 washes ashore with all the grace of a dazed hermit crab—a lightweight spectacle scuttling for purpose. Much ado has already been made about its metamorphosis from a Disney+ series to a full-fledged, theatrically-released tentpole for the animation arm of the studio but it’s fair to point out that this creative retooling can be felt all over the final product. It’s a tedious sequel that doesn’t seek to engage anyone over the age of 12, adrift without purpose, slogging from one unremarkable set piece to the next, unmoored by instantly forgettable musical numbers. It’s one of Disney’s most baffling creative misfires in recent memory – even if it’s not a box office miss like Disney’s previous two efforts – is remains narratively empty and as uncharted as the ocean depths it pretends to explore.

This time, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is tasked by her ancestors to unite the people of the ocean by wayfinding to the lost island of Motufetu. She’s joined by Maui (Dwayne Johnson), still doing his smug-demigod routine, and a hodgepodge crew: a brainy engineer (Rose Matafeo), a grumpy island farmer (David Fane), and a brawny warrior (Hualālai Chung). Together, they set out to undo an ancient curse and face off against an angry ocean god named Nalo, who for some reason doesn’t want humans to interact with each other. Along the way, they’ll spar with coconut warriors, battle oversized clams, and stumble upon other oceanic cryptids—all while grappling with a trite lesson about teamwork and destiny, or whatever.

For children already enamored with Moana, this sequel will likely deliver enough colorful vistas, noisy antics, and action-packed escapades to hold their attention for its 100-minute runtime. Parents might even find themselves swept up in the vicarious joy of their children’s delight – and who can blame them? But for anyone watching Moana 2 without the buffer of a kiddo’s enthusiasm, it’s an endurance test. Those expecting the animated sequel to present as an actual movie with anything resembling actual movie weight – rather than a distraction or babysitter – will be deeply off put by Disney’s latest effort to pass replication off as innovation. One simply can’t forget that the entire endeavor was calculated as a means to extract maximum dollars from family wallets, a soulless exercise in merchandising masquerading as a movie.

There’s a kind of nihilism at play in the complacency of Moana 2. The songs, a hallmark of the original and other Disney animated films, are shockingly unmemorable—I’d be hard-pressed to hum even a single line from Moana 2. The sheer vacuousness of the film borders on embarrassing; no one really learns anything, no one grows, nothing important happens. Perhaps the blame can be laid at the fact that there are not one, not two, but three credited directors (David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller) but Moana 2 is a lifeless nothingburger of a movie: offensively bland, cynically capitalizing on cultural identity, and existing solely to wring a few more dollars from an upsold Disney+ series. If this is Disney’s idea of boldly rowing towards a brighter future, audiences should be paddling toward other shores.

CONCLUSION: As empty and cold as the depths of the sea, ‘Moana 2’ is a cynically made sequel that lacks a heartbeat and memorable music. It’s Walt Disney Animation Studios’ worst effort in quite some time.