Review of 'Moana 2'

Moana 2 picks up three years after Moana’s (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho) first adventure (see here for review), as she continues exploring islands near her home, Motunui. She receives a vision from her ancestor, Tautai Vasa (voiced by Gerald Faitala Ramsey), who warns her that the storm god Nalo (voiced by Tofiga Fepulea'i) has sunk the legendary island of Motufetu, severing the connection between people and the ocean. Determined to restore balance, Moana assembles a crew—including her animal companions pig Pua and rooster Heihei (voiced by Alan Tudyk), the overly enthusiastic inventor extraordinaire Loto (voiced by Rose Matafeo), superfan but reluctant advenurer Moni (voiced by Hualalai Chung) and old curmudgeon Kele (voiced by David Fane) who all set off to find and raise Motufetu. Along the way, she encounters old foes, new allies, and the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), who is also caught in the conflict imprisoned by Nalo's enforcer Matangi (voiced by Awhimai Fraser). Facing Nalo’s wrath, Moana must summon all her courage and wayfinding skills to break the curse, reconnect her people with the ocean, and restore harmony.

In this sequel the reluctant Moana is challenged to become more of a leader for her people with the stakes much higher than in the first film. The effects too are a lot bigger and there is a lot more going on in the slightly confusing plot (summary: Find the sunken island, have Maui raise it from the deep, unite the world…simple!). Fans will of course be pleased to see the return of Moana's animal companions but most of all the amusingly naïve demigod Maui voiced wonderfully by Dwayne Johnson. The songs are not quite so memorable but serve their purpose with Auli'i Cravalho doing an amazing job again here with a clean, youthful voice that maintains the hyper-frenetic pace and character of the film. On that point, there is a lot happening in every minute of this film which, of course, will keep younger viewers enthralled but older viewers may simply find it tiring but as with many successful Disney films there is a lot here for older audiences to enjoy including the quick, sharp dialogue and wit.

Good, fast-paced, fun but perhaps not with the emotional heart of the first film as Moana steps up as leader of not only Motunui but the world.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2025-05-04

Directed by: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller

Studio: Walt Disney Animation Canada

Year: 2024

Length: 100 minutes

Genre: Animation

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13622970/