Tulou.
Tagaloa!
Sei e va’ai mai,
I le tātou lalolagi.
“Moana 2,” the much-awaited sequel to “Moana,” began with this song, the same way as its predecessor did; however, that is where the similarities end.
When “Moana” was released, it broke a plethora of records. It made $15.5 million on its opening day, surpassing the previous record set by “Frozen.” It ended up making a total of $687.2 million across its international release sites. Contestants on reality shows sang songs from the movie, and it amassed a global fan following that continues to this day.
“Moana 2” set multiple records too… but they can all be chalked up to anticipation.
Anticipation for a great story. Curiosity as to its emotional appeal. Excitement for another beautiful soundtrack. There were lots of expectations for “Moana 2,” and skeptics doubted if it could truly live up to the high standards of the first movie.
They were right.
Disney has a history of producing sequels that pale in comparison to the original. “Pocahontas 2”? Absolute flop. “Mulan 2”? Meh. “The Little Mermaid 2”? Weird. Now, on the other hand, movies like “Lion King 2” expertly picked up where their prequels left off and managed to weave a beautiful story and soundtrack. “Frozen 2” saw the return of the same cast, songwriters and directors, culminating in a beautiful storyline and varied soundtrack, with everything from a simple lullaby to an ‘80s love ballad. Now that’s the way to nail a sequel.
Animation
On the face of it, “Moana 2” is dazzling. The animation is truly the best part of the film; the way Disney’s animators have painstakingly created everything from curly hair to glowing tattoos reflects their history of artistic quality. The colors are vibrant, the movements are polished and the environment reflects that of the indigenous people the movie aims to represent. The technical skill is evident, making the presentation of the movie stunning.
Storyline
However, the story itself is average. Moana hears a call from the ancestors to find an island that, long ago, had connected all the people of the ocean. After Nalo, the temperamental thunder god, took control and isolated the island, the seas were never the same. The demigod Maui attempts to solve this problem, but his powers are no match for Nalo and his demigoddess helper, Matangi. Yet again, it’s all up to Moana to save Maui and the rest of the world, though this time, she brings along a mismatched crew of three villagers.
The inclusion of the two antagonists is intriguing, but Nalo himself doesn’t play a large role until the end-credit scene, which seems anticlimactic. It’s not a wonderful, emotional storyline like that of “Moana,” but it’s not necessarily a bad one either. It was merely enjoyable.
Soundtrack
If you’re expecting a quality soundtrack, you won’t find it here.
Quite frankly, it was horrible. Bland. Unemotional. Unnatural.
Not magical at all.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the gifted songwriter of “Moana” who won a Grammy for his work, didn’t return for the second film, instead shifting his focus to the “Mufasa” movie. “Moana 2” was initially intended to be an episode series, so instead of getting Miranda, Disney tapped the famous TikTok duo Barlow and Bear to write the music.
Emily Bear, 23, and Abigail Barlow, 26, catapulted to fame after publishing an unofficial musical for “Bridgerton” on TikTok, a work that bagged them an Emmy — and a lawsuit from Netflix over copyright infringement. As the first all-female duo to write music for Disney, the media built lots of anticipation over their big break.
Sadly, the music just didn’t vibe.
The best song, “Mana Vavau,” was a song sung by Dwayne Johnson, Opetaia Foa’i and Rachel House during a dark point near the end of the movie. It’s completely in Samoan and Tokelauan, which makes it especially powerful in that scene. Matangi’s song “Get Lost” was also good; I could definitely imagine hearing it on a radio.
None of the other songs even came close, though. Miranda’s genius is that his lyrics and instrumentals advance the story while still being great standalone songs. Barlow and Bear had an incredible example to live up to, and I think the pressure of that propelled them to try to imitate Miranda’s style — to no avail.
Even six years after its release, people still have the songs from “Moana” memorized. “Moana 2” just never hit that way; none of the songs are earworms. They’re all easily forgettable.
Final Thoughts
Russian writer Leo Tolstoy once said, “All great literature is one of two stories: a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.”
This philosophy applies to movies as well.
“Moana” satisfies both criteria. Moana must overcome adversities and muster the courage to lose sight of the shore, while Maui, a stranger, is also introduced in the mix.
“Moana 2” is not as drastic of a change; until the absolute end, Moana never faces an interpersonal crisis quite like that which was shown in the original movie.
After a thorough analysis, I’ve come to a simple conclusion. “Moana” was an award-winning, trailblazing work of art: 10 out of 10. Whereas, “Moana 2” was an average movie: six out of 10.
It was overhyped to the point that anything it delivered would have felt like a letdown. Legends are legends for a reason, as it’s very hard to surpass them.
The audience did indeed “get lost” in the movie itself, but it didn’t strike a chord like the first one.
So yes, go ahead and watch “Moana 2” — but don’t expect the magic of the first.
