Nov 27

Nov 27 'Moana 2' film review: Sequel discovers the heart of exploration

Breaking free from the isolation of her home island, the intrepid, sea faring explorer sets sail beyond in the animated adventure 'Moana 2' (in theaters nationwide Nov. 27).

In short: Since becoming her island's wayfinder, Moana search for other peoples across the ocean leads her to seeking out a long lost island which may be the key to connecting other island dwellers across Oceania. Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualālai Chung, Rose Matafeo and David Fane star.

'Moana 2' is a Disney sequel that doesn't merely feel right - it makes absolute sense as the next steps in Moana's journey. The first film triumphantly ends with the young explorer setting course to find new lands. Nature had all but completely confined her people to Moana's home island. The film's signature song 'How Far I'll Go' declares her intentions to find out what is beyond her island. And 'Moana 2' makes good on this promise with a simple premise: Moana is driven to find other people beyond her home. She's an explorer in the purest sense.

Whereas a curse is essentially set upon Moana's home in the first film, the fate of her home isle this time around ... is simply the inevitable collapse of her very isolated village. And the great threat imperiling her home and separating Moana's people from the rest of the world - is the impossibly dangerous sea. This forms an existentially compelling core to this Disney sequel. 'Moana 2' has all the fundamentals of a timeless story passed down from generation to generation: with temperamental gods going to great effort to hamper humanity. The stakes are simple human connection ... or dooming the island to oblivion.

Although the first film was basically a "road trip" of sorts for Moana and Maui, this time around Moana brings along a motley crew from her village. This rag tag band - which includes a Maui fanboy, a cantankerous farmer and a quirky engineer - also thematically makes perfect sense for 'Moana 2.' This isn't merely the story of one girl defeating another mystical being - the entire thrust of the story centers on the various working together. Moana's search for other people is a pursuit of connection of many cultures - ideally to work together to save each other.

The inclusion of Moana's crew does mean that Maui - who was such a large, domineering part of the first time - is very sidelined in this follow up. If anything, his role is so minimal that the story probably could have written him out - and 'Moana 2' might not have lost a step. The film's second act is essentially 'Moana and friends have to defeat an ocean monster,' and this part of the film doesn't feel particularly profound. And, perhaps not coincidentally, this is also the part where Maui is reintroduced to the plot. The first act has all the hallmarks of a creation myth bearing down on a culture and the third act features Moana and her crew facing down relentlessly dangerous forces of nature - but the middle is feels like filler.

Yet overall, ‘Moana 2’ is exactly the follow-up the first film established. If the first movie was her origin story as an oceanic wayfinder, the sequel finds Moana as more resolved in her purpose - and not merely as an explorer finding new islands, but an explorer truly intent on expanding the world for her village and her people.

And stay in your seats through the credits: ‘Moana 2’ features a mid-credits scene … with implications for the threats Moana will face in a potential sequel.

Final verdict: In a world full of sequels that feel uninspired or cynical cash grabs, 'Moana 2' is the natural next chapter in the story of a young explorer who broke free of her cultural norms that confined her to home - and led her to see the greater world.