On November 27th, fans of the original Moana went into theaters, eagerly awaiting the newest addition to the franchise.  The character of Moana returns, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, and Dwayne Johnson as Maui. While Moana is about her self-discovery journey to restore the heart of Te Fiti and save the people of Motunui, part 2 centers around the voyage to unite the people of different islands. New characters are introduced: Simea, Moana’s younger sister, smart Loto, historian Moni, and farmer Keke. Loto, Moni and Keke make up Moana’s crew on their journey to Motufetu, where they must raise the island to unite the people of all the islands.

I went into the theater with pretty high expectations, as I expected the sequel to measure up to the nostalgia I held for the original.  Unfortunately,  it felt like I was watching the original plot, but watered down. Moana’s journey in the first film was to find her identity as a wayfinder, whereas in the second film, it felt predictable about what was going to happen next. Her struggles were repetitive and recycled, as were the solutions she took to combat it.

However, I did appreciate a few things in the movie. For instance, Moana’s bond with her younger sister. Although it did seem like they were trying to recreate the bond she had with her grandmother in the first film, the representation of large age gap siblings was very sweet, and was one of the few positive things in the continuation. I also found the new characters’ personality shallow with little investment into their narrative and traits. However, they were entertaining, and contributed well to the comedic aspect of the movie. Speaking of the comedic aspect, running jokes were well utilized: Maui’s “distaste” for the chicken continued, along with the love-hate relationship he has with his tattoos. Culturally, this movie was huge, with a beautiful representation of Polynesian traditions and values. I liked how the patterns, oceans, and islands were carefully animated to accurately depict Polynesian identity, and Maui’s role in deeper aspects of Polynesian mythology. 

I must say, even with all the positives that Moana 2 brings, the storyline is not well written. The 2016 Moana is a story of courage, persistence, and self-discovery. Her success is satisfying to watch, and the highs and lows of the story keep the viewers enthralled. Moana 2, on the other hand, has “lows” in her journey that feel obligatory, rather than a true struggle. There is no rebellion as she comes from a supportive background, and the story is diminished because of it. In all honesty, her character development concluded with the first movie. In the words of my brother, “it should be called Maui 2.” Obviously, the idea is to show Moana and Maui working together to reach Motufetu, but in comparison to the first movie, Maui had more to do with their success than Moana. Maui was somewhat of a last minute supernatural hero, which isn’t often used in modern-day media because it makes the development, growth, and valued traits in a “relatable”  character unnecessary. Maui’s overly large role in the journeys success made Moana’s internal conflict meaningless. Worst of all, characters were introduced and then left hanging. Matangi was given a whole song and promised to be rescued, and then never seen again. The lack of clarity in the film was overwhelming: from the whole call to adventure and the role of the kakamura coconuts.  And of course, none of the songs were as catchy as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “You’re Welcome,” but perhaps, they will grow on me.

2.5/5 stars