Moana 2 tells an adventure story about finding new lands and new people. It’s a little darker and scarier than the original Moana story. It was very good, although I didn’t think the music was as good as in the first film. The songs about getting lost and taking chances didn’t resonate quite as much as the songs from the first Moana.
In Moana 2, the wayfinder Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, sets off on a dangerous voyage to find a lost island. All the peoples of the world are restricted because this island has been hidden by an evil curse. To survive and thrive, the people of Moana’s island need to make connections with all the other people of the world.
Moana has help from Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a demigod with some pretty awesome powers. She is pointed in the right direction by the ghost of an ancestor, a comet, and the constellation Cassiopeia. The ghost of Gramma Tala (Rachel House) is also there to help her.
Moana has a new outrigger canoe and a crew. The chicken and the pig are there. I’m not sure they are really useful for anything but laughs. She also has help from the engineer Loto (Rose Matafeo), the historian and storyteller Moni (Hualalai Chung), and farmer Kele (David Fane).
In true Disney style, the characters they meet along the way add humor and fun. The people and families they leave behind, especially Moana’s little sister Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda) are all vibrant and full of history and songs.
There are ceremonies and stories that feel authentic to the people of the south Pacific, which seems like where they are. Near New Zealand or Figi perhaps.
The crew has many dangers to conquer along the way. Poisons, giant clams, horrible storms, sunken islands, and an ocean that no longer supports Moana as the ocean did in the first movie.
When it’s over Moana is changed but eternal. A scene at the end of the credits hints and what might be a plot for a third Moana story.
As you would expect from Disney, the animations are nearly alive, clever, and cute. Everything is bright and beautiful and full of music, with some scary moments thrown into the mix. The film did great at the box office. Moana 2 is now available to rent from Amazon Prime.
I assume at some point it will become available as part of a Hulu/Disney+ subscription without any additional cost. If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to pay a hefty rental fee, keep an eye out for it to become available via Disney.
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