Film Review: ‘Moana 2’ Is A Satisfying Expansion Of Disney Animation’s Water World
by Erik Amaya
Moana 2, in theaters today, is a gorgeously-produced expansion on ideas from the first film. It reunites the winning team of Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson — as Moana and Maui, respectively — but also gives time for new and returning characters to shine. Of course, the film still bears the marks of its direct-to-Disney+ origins, but the quality of the animation, performances, and musical accompaniment make it more than worthy for a theatrical viewing.
Set three years after the first film, Moana searches for other populated islands. Indeed, the traditions of her homeland state other people are out on the ocean. But in all her years of exploration, Moana has yet to find anyone. Maui, for his part, is trying to assist her … or, at least, he thinks he’s helping. That all changes when Moana receives a spiritual call from one of the ancestors to find a mysterious island that will, once discovered, allow the disparate island nations contact once more. And so, she sets out with a few others from the island — Heihei (Alan Tudyk) and Pua included — to find the way. On the journey, they also learn some things about themselves.
The straightforward plot is both to the film’s credit and the its chief flaw. Although it allows Moana and her crew to easily sail from set piece to set piece, it also means the story is a little thin compared to the first film. A less charitable take: it will remind some viewers of Disney’s direct-to-video sequels from the late 1990s and early 2000s. But that comparison does the film a disservice as it is clear directors Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller, and David G. Derrick Jr., along with the army of animators and technicians, were given ample time to elevate the production for a theatrical release.
The color palette, for example, is vibrant and pleasing to the eye. Even scenes in storms or dark caves pop with interesting hues and unlikely uses for the blue-to-lavender spectrum. Similarly, the animation of action is fluid and infectiously joyful. This is most obviously on display when Moana glides about her canoe, but also comes across in finer facial animation and even the scary storms of the film’s antagonist, Nalo.
Which brings us back to the story and its relative thinness. Unlike the first film’s Te Ka, Nalo is a more remote character. Moana and the audience learning just enough to go forward with the search for the island. Consequently, Moana’s journey never feels as tied to that antagonistic force the way it did in the first film. More positively, a distant antagonist means the film more directly examines Moana’s tendency toward positivity. She is given opportunity to doubt and it is genuinely effecting. While not as nuanced as say, the increasing thematic complexity featured in Inside Out 2, it is consistent with the title character growing older. Granted, Moana’s original audience has experienced far more years in the eight year interval since the first film than the character herself. Their perspective on the added complexity could be very different.
Curiously, the passage of time can be heard in Cravalho’s performance. She can’t help be sound more mature, so it’s helpful the story embraces a Moana who is tasked with more responsibility and has equal reason to sail the seas and stay on land. Special credit to Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, who voices Moana’s sister, Simea, and personifies the appeal of home.
Johnson is never better than when he voices Maui. Forever searching for his iconic hero role, the flawed demigod is as pretty close to that ideal as possible. Sure, there’s always a bit of the scoundrel to the character, but his ability to refocus on the right thing makes him compelling. Johnson clearly sees that too as he gives a genuinely funny and noble performance.
The film is also peppered with wonderful supporting performances from Rose Matafeo, Hualālai Chung, and David Fane as Moana’s crew. Each is more of a spice, offering wry commentary or key aid in a certain moment. Chung’s Moni gets the most to do as his mission to chronicle the tribe’s legends becomes a real adventure and he finally comes face-to-face with Maui. Once again, the simplicity of the plot proves a hindrance here as we wish the supporting players had a little bit more to do (even if each grows by virtue of the journey). But with a 100-minute runtime and musical numbers to do, there is only so much bandwidth for anyone who is not Moana or Maui.
But the musical numbers are certainly a good use of those valuable minutes. Like the first film, each has a particular flair and clever lyricism, provided by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Opetaia Foa‘i, and Mark Mancina. The film’s key song, “We’re Back” builds across the film and crescendos in a really moving way. It’s also backed up by a closing credits rendition performed by Foa’i, Te Vaka. and a children’s choir in both Tokelauan and Samoan.
While not as deep as the first film in the series, Moana 2 proves a worthy expansion as Moana and Maui continue to grow, supporting characters get a few minutes to shine, and the mythology of the ocean setting becomes wider. The action, music, and performances carry an infectious energy that makes our grumble about the plot a minor criticism — although certain filmgoers won’t be able to ignore it — and it is the sort of film that benefits from a large movie theater screen to really convey the gorgeous animation, lighting, color, and design. In that environment, the film really shines.
Moana 2 is in theaters now.
