Film: Moana 2 [2024] – Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson

Moana 2 is visually stunning, with a good premise to expand its universe. However, I can’t stop feeling that something is off.

Starring Auli’i Cravalho & Dwayne Johnson, the movie pitches itself as a dreamy sequel to the original movie. It has plenty to keep the audience engaged from start to finish. Amazing visuals, decent songs, and lots of laugh. However, the movie feels un-inspired.

In fact, the first half is slow. Heavily inspired by Pocahontas and Thor: Ragnarok. Some scenes are almost a carbon copy. Other parts of the first half include so many repeat moments from the original. Thankfully, the movie picks up in the second half largely because Moana and Maui are reunited, which invigorates the narrative; separate, their stories are still relevant, but less entertaining.

To be honest, it’s a decent movie with forgettable songs. It lacks the “Disney Magic” and this has been a recurring theme recently with Disney Animation movies. Remember Wish?

Moana 2 is a movie that grabs you by the collar in the first frames and insists you are having a good time — and never stops telling you that, whether you are or not. Yes, I understand that it’s a movie made for children. But If you have to tell me over 10 times in 10 minutes that “this is fun”, including a song about how “fun this is”, is it fun?

Should you watch it?

Moana 2 inspires passable acceptance tinged slightly with disappointment. I expected more. I wouldn’t steer anyone away from the movie, but it’d be wise to keep expectations in check.

Where can I watch it?

You can stream Moana 2 on Disney Plus everywhere.