Walt Disney Animation Studios brought back Moana for another voyage with new and familiar faces.
The original “Moana” released on Nov. 26, 2016 with critical acclaim. With the success of the original film, a sequel followed eight years after the original.
Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is seen voyaging to a new island to look for clues about her ancestral past. After returning home, a new threat arises to threaten her people. She teams up with Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and several people from her village to stop the threat and learn more about ancestors.
Creating a sequel to one of the most beloved animated films is a tall order to fulfill. Some films such as “Toy Story 2” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” exceed and surpass their original movies. Other times, they are inferior to the original. Where does “Moana 2” stand?
The one element that’s consistent with the original film is the animation. The audience was captivated with gorgeous water, incredible environments and thrilling action sequences.
The callbacks to the first film were cool, but unneeded. They got fans of the original film excited, but the film should have limited the amount of callbacks. One callback in particular took up too much time to get through and it was evident that impatience was starting to set in with the audience.
The voyage takes a while to get to its final destination. While the journey matters more than the destination, the trip takes its time going through events that happen along the way. The events felt like long pit stops, something to temporarily stop at and experience, but then they move on.
Maui comes along for the journey, but he joins the crew when they are close to their destination, which makes the audience question why he wasn’t there earlier. He had his reasons why, but it would have made the journey more memorable.
The new characters they introduce are one-dimensional. They have one defining characteristic, do something that’s required to progress the voyage and are given no development afterward. It was disappointing for the audience looking for unforgettable characters, although a few of them got some chuckles and laughs.
The new songs written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear and composed by Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina were admirable. While none of them are as memorable as the first film, some of the new ones stood out to the audience. The showstopper of the movie was “Beyond” as Moana sings about her doubts and concerns about the upcoming voyage.
When the destination was in sight, the final obstacle they had to overcome was the best part of the movie. The music was tense, the action was thrilling, the audience was on the edge of their seats and it ended with shock from the audience.
While fans of the original film will love seeing Moana back with some good songs, gorgeous animation, some fun callbacks and action sequences, those who aren’t will be like Moana from the first film, wanting more.
It felt like an average voyage- something that the audience will be glad they went on, but won’t go on again in the near future.
