‘Moana 2’ ramps up the stakes and heart (Movie Review)

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — “Moana 2” is the surprise sequel to the original “Moana” and sees the return of the dynamic duo Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson). When a mysterious force urges Moana to discover the past of her ancestors, she and her band of friends must face danger far out in the seas of Oceania to find a lost world that can bring her people together.

I thought the original “Moana” was a great addition to the Disney animated catalog. It has catchy tunes, infectious leads with Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, and ironically, isn’t a remake or sequel to already established intellectual property. Its sequel, “Moana 2”, originally was meant to go on Disney +, but executives saw the quality of the film and decided it needed a theatrical release, and I’m glad they did.

This is a worthy follow-up to “Moana” for a few reasons. There are more intense and thrilling action scenes, more laughs, and there is a heart and depth to our main characters that builds from the original. The animation looks breathtaking, particularly the water simulations and how the characters interact with it. Seeing the subtle color fading from Maui’s tattoos, more texture and detail in faces when speaking and when singing, it all feels incredibly realistic and very well done.

Moana’s story is more personal this time. She’s tracing back her family’s ancestral roots, and taking on the role of “Wayfinder”, understanding the stakes and sacrifices more with her age. I loved all the interactions she had with her adorable little sister Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda). They are the beating heart of the film, but the driving force comes from Dwayne Johnson’s Maui. He again delivers a bombastic and captivating performance, and that special bond between him and Moana continues to grow in this.

One of the things that was still good, but maybe not as great as the original to me, is the music. There’s not a song that hits as hard as the first films, and I don’t think the rapping blended as well in the songs as it did before. There are no real reprises of “You’re Welcome” or “How Far I’ll Go”. The songs used in replacement don’t have that same catchiness to them.

Additionally, there is a plot point that serves as a big point in the first half of the film, but kind of disappears in the end. I’m not sure if it was intentional to leave it out to set up a third film, or maybe they did not have time to resolve that particular story, but it was immediately noticeable to me and felt more like a story issue.

Overall though, I had a great time with “Moana 2”. It’s a worthy sequel and I wouldn’t mind seeing the story continue, and not in a live-action version of the original, which I can already tell you I will not be as excited to see.

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