Movie Review: Moana 2

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

Though it is not the instant Disney classic that the first Moana (2016) was, this is still a good movie in its own right.

Where this movie really works is its sense of adventure and danger. In this film it truly fails like Moana is tested far beyond how she was tested in the first picture. This gives the story a true sense of suspense that works incredibly well. We truly feel that our heroes are in real danger, and this makes the action scenes very exciting. The big climatic action scene is pure edge of your seat excitement. The movie also does a great job building upon the world that the first film built. The new environments feel larger than life and the visuals are absolutely gorgeous. At the same time Moana and Maui still remain the lovable characters from the first film and it is simply a joy to spend time with them again. Their friendship again is very sweet and touching. The way the two play off each other in both comedic and serious moments is a highlight. Yet these characters are likable by themselves too. We relate to and care about both of them. The addition of Moana's little sister Simea also adds a lot of heart to this film and this character is the focus of the most emotional moments. 

The humor can be a bit hit and miss. Some of it may not work, but there are also moments that are laugh out loud funny. In this case I think the funny moments outnumber the unfunny ones. 

This is not a perfect movie though. Moana's crew that she brought along on this new adventure is filled with quite boring characters. These characters are all pretty bland and one note. They feel too much like movie characters we have seen a million times before with nothing new added. This movie also has pacing problems that probably come from the fact that this film was originally planned to be a streaming series.  

This film is directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller. This is the feature film directorial debut of all three of directors. David Derrick Jr. has previously worked as a storyboard artist on such films as Bee Movie (2007), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Megamind (2010), Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and Encanto (2021). Jason Hand worked as a layout artist on such movies as Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005), Curious George (2006), The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Winnie the Pooh (2011). He also worked as a story artist on the original Moana. Dana Ledoux Miller has worked as a writer and producer on such live action TV series as Designated Survivor, Lodge 49 and Kevin Can F**k Himself. 

 Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear are the songwriters here replacing Lin-Manuel Miranda (whose songs will be heard in Mufusa, a Disney movie coming out later this year). These are two young female songwriters in their 20's. Unlike previous Disney songwriters this duo did not write songs for Broadway, radio or film beforehand. Rather these two rose to fame from Tik Tok. The songs here (like quite a few of songs from Disney's recent animated features) are very pleasant and fun to listen to but aren't as memorable as those in older Disney movies. I really enjoyed each song number here but unlike after watching an older Disney movie, I didn't leave singing one of them to myself. 

This may not be the next big Disney classic, but it is a delightful treat for Disney fans.