Disney has created magical worlds since the dawn of time it feels. They’ve told stories from all around the world about a range of cultures and this diversity and variety is what has kept the company relevant and different from other animation studios. Old school classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Aladdin may all be from a different era but the current era feels like Disney has crafted more unique and wonderful worlds but they feel keen to expand on them and make sequels to these worlds. Frozen was the biggest one and a successful sequel soon followed and now Disney is at it again with Moana with its release of Moana 2.
Moana 2 had a strange voyage to the big screen. Thanks to changing studio heads, film industry strikes, rise of streaming services, the road to making this film has been unique to say the least. What started life as a television show resulted in a big blockbuster spectacle. The film is set three years after the first one and Moana is in search of looking for other people and other tribes but there is a problem, an evil god Nalo cut off the oceans decades ago and restricted the connection between oceans. It is up to Moana to find a mystical island that Nalo has hidden to bring back the currents to connect the oceans. The concept and set up is great and enticing, but the film still looks and feels like it has an almost episodic format.
Maui has some personal dealings with Nalo and is stuck in the confines of a mystical woman named Matangi until Moana finds him. The journey to find the island does bring Moana and Maui back together but this doesn’t happen until later in the film. Moana has a crew now as well with a navigator, a farmer and a storyteller on her ship as she learns more about teamwork and working together - a common theme the film plays with. The films structure is very linear and predictable with monsters and music littered along the way. Some of the magic of the first film isn’t quite there but regardless it is great to see these characters again and some of the songs are catchy but not to the same level as the first film, which makes sense since Lin Manuel Miranda didn’t return to write the music.
Moana 2 does have scope and the scale of the story feels grand and immersive. The animation and fidelity of the ocean is the same quality you would come to expect from Disney. It is also great to have Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho return as the titular characters, their energy and chemistry are just as fun as you remember. Moana 2 will undoubtably resonate with families and children and it is a season where families are looking to get out the house and this is the perfect film to enjoy, but it just lacks the same level of depth and magic that made the first film feel different and special.
★★★★☆
4/5
Final Verdict:
Moana 2 is a sequel which had a messy journey coming to the big screen. The structure, themes and the music feel a little lacking and a bit too by the books. The vibrance and the animation still feel second to none, with the quality you would expect from the House of Mouse. The characters of Moana and Maui don’t go through much development this time, but their stories do expand a bit more and there is a few catchy tunes along the way. Moana 2 proves that there are more stories to tell, it will be interesting how far they’ll go with this franchise.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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