Released on November 27, 2024, Moana 2 shattered the box office records for the Thanksgiving holidays regardless of the mixed reviews it received. The movie juggles many themes touching to the audience, such as older sibling responsibilities, being true to your beliefs, honoring your ancestors, and paving your own path. Disney’s improving animation made the characters in Moana 2 appear almost lifelike. The blend of islander culture and modernism in the movie’s music was so appealing that it made the audience feel as if they were part of the movie itself. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations with this movie, after watching Disney’s downfall with its recent movies, but Moana 2 made me feel like I was a child again watching Moana for the first time,” exclaimed one of the audience members.
Moana 2 begins with Moana receiving an unexpected call from her ancestors to reconnect her people with the rest of the world in order to ensure her island’s survival. After finding out that one of her ancestors died on their way to Motufetu, Moana starts to question her ability to come back from her voyage. This self-doubt occurs more than once throughout the movie, so it keeps hinting at something wrong happening to Moana during her wayfinding trip. Leaving her family and her little sister at home to go on a quest of self-discovery is a journey that a lot of people take after high school, which shows how this movie is relatable for everyone.
She creates a small team from her island to take with her on her trip. The crew is made up of Moni, who is a fan of Maui, Loto, who is an engineer, and Kele, who is a grumpy farmer. Their opposing personalities brought chaos, initially, but also diversity, which helped Moana find creative and helpful solutions. Being with a team exposed Moana to the viewpoints of others and the possibilities for finding solutions through their ideas. Moana’s sister, a new character for the Moana franchise, highlighted dependence on family, support from your family, and a remembrance for those who are always by your side. This twist helped Moana make her way through new challenges.
The movie also incorporated characters from the prequel, such as the coconuts, Tamatoa. They were seen as the villains in the first movie, but in Moana 2, a sympathetic light was cast upon them. They had also lost their home island and their people were separated. By changing the characters’ personalities, Disney was able to include a backstory and create an everlasting effect for these characters.
The movie disappointed many because of Maui’s role. Although he was given a good amount of screentime and an important role, there was not a lot of visible character development. Maui kept saying that Moana changed how he perceived the world, but since the audience didn’t get to see much of the change, Maui’s character goes from egotistical to self-aware and mature with almost no background on how.
In addition to Maui’s character development, there were many parts in the plot that were predictable and easy to understand. Greeshma Adiga, a senior at Dublin High, felt that, “the plotline seemed overly linear, like I could predict exactly what was going to have ever single time… It’s like the writers came up with the whole plot in one day and didn’t think to make any edits. Overall, it just felt rushed,”. With many other reviews matching Greeshma’s, it is safe to say that Disney missed its chance to make a movie with a surprising plotline that kept its audience engaged.
Overall, Disney’s fantastic job on incorporating new characters with old ones and creating authentic visuals and music, makes this movie a must-watch for all Disney fans.
