Moana 2 review: Colourful Disney sequel lacks emotional impact

In Moana 2, three years on from the first story, we are reunited with Moana, the young wayfinder, whose job it is to continue what her ancestors started. As her father Tui (voiced by Temuera Morrison), chief of Motunui Island, says, she must “connect to our past, our present and our future beyond”, a maxim that soon comes to pass when Moana is compelled to follow a trail in the sky left by her wayfinding ancestors. Her task? To journey across Oceania to help lift an ancient curse placed on the island of Motufetu.

Soon enough, Moana is assembling her crew, including the nerdy youngster Loto (Rose Matafeo), white-haired farmer Kele (David Fane) and Moni (Hualālai Chung), a buff young fellow with a man-crush on Maui, the demigod voiced by Dwayne Johnson from the original movie.

Also on the boat are Moana’s pet pig and rooster (or “bacon and eggs”, as Maui later cheekily calls them) and when the adventure gets going, they’re joined by a strange creature wearing coconut armour who wants to help break the curse.

Moana, of course, is intimately bonded with the great stretch of water that surrounds her island, Motunui, where she still lives with her father and mother (Nicole Scherzinger). To visualise this, she is often seen communicating with the water, which wraps itself into a cylindrical shape – think the water-pods in The Abyss and you’re not far off. It’s a neat idea, and one that could’ve been further exploited in a story that – to use the Moana metaphor – sometimes loses its way.

Directed by David Derrick Jr, Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, the slightly wayward script sees the plot gets tossed about like Moana’s raft on the ocean. In truth, it lacks the emotional impact – and jeopardy – to really power this tale of ancient curse-lifting. The number of members of Moana’s crew adds to the problem; eight occupants – as it will be when Maui meets them – just feels like too many to invest in.

Yet for all that griping, Moana 2 is a colourful, laidback ride that will appeal to the youngest of Disney fans. The animation of this ancient Pacific culture is quite beautiful; from glowing sunsets to the pores on their faces, the detail strived for is remarkable. The dialogue may sometimes feel portentous (lines like “may the ancestors continue to guide us”), but there are some snappy one-liners too – not least Maui calling a group of young acolytes ‘Moana-bes’.

Johnson seems to enjoy himself playing Maui, the demigod with the perpetually moving tattoo that jumps across his body, and he spars well with the others. Cravalho again shows she has a fine vocal range and handles the songs by Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow. Johnson also gets his chance to wrap his deep vocal chords around one number, which he does competently enough.

Still, while it all feels a little ho-hum for the parents at least, it won’t be the last time we see this perky character, with a live-action Moana remake on the way, as well as hints in the post-credits sequence that a third animation is being plotted. For the moment, Moana 2 just about has enough to keep audiences interested. Just.

Moana 2 is out now in the US, and will be released on Friday 29th November in the UK.

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