'Moana 2' Spoiler-Free Review

TV & Film

Dec 2

Moana 2 poster — Image Source: *The Collision*

The sequel to 2016's Moana splashed into theaters last week! Starring Auli'i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Maui, Moana 2 will delight the whole family with a new adventure at sea. The trailer for the newest Disney film introduced some new characters, including Moana's little sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), as we see Moana traveling back and forth to her home on Motunui. Along with her animal sidekicks, Heihei and Pua, Moana now voyages with farmer Kele (David Fane), Motunui’s historian Moni (Hualālai Chung), and engineer Loto (Rose Matafeo).

Moana 2 has broken multiple box office records, despite the original plan to be released as a show exclusively on Disney+. The sequel earned $386.3 million in its opening 5-day weekend. Moana 2 had the second-best debut weekend of the year globally, only being surpassed by Deadpool & Wolverine. Even with its 3-day opening, at $135.5 million, this was the best opening ever for a Disney animated film, pushing past Frozen 2’s $130.3 million back in 2019.

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Many Disney fans and their families went out to see Moana 2, but how does the sequel hold up to Moana? The themes of family, growing up, and taking control of your destiny continue to bloom in Moana 2. While Moana’s journey in the new movie echoes her original quest, finding Maui to restore the heart of Te Fiti, this time she’s looking for different oceanic tribes with the hope of connecting their communities.

In Moana 2, the only core difference is that Moana now has something she didn't have before: the full support from her family and village. Beyond that, the narrative structure and hero’s journey are reminiscent of the first film. There’s just slightly different scenery, a more empowered Moana, and a bit more focus on the adventure than on the characters. It would have been beneficial to spend more time with each of the friends Moana brings on board before setting sail, for one thing.

The soundtrack of Moana 2 is where the sequel starts to flounder. Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i return as core composers, though the new movie sees Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear replace Lin-Manuel Miranda as additional songwriters. Barlow and Bear have become the first all-female songwriting duo and the youngest songwriters for a Disney animated film.

Moana 2 seems to have lost some of the original film’s spark, going the way of many other animated sequels. Unlike the first installment, with hits like “How Far I’ll Go,” “You’re Welcome,” and “Shiny” that became instant earworms and were soon covered by numerous artists, Moana 2 doesn’t have the same musical magic as its predecessor.

Only two songs stand out as being memorable after watching the new movie. The first is “Beyond,” which serves as Moana’s motivational monologue, mirroring “How Far I’ll Go” from the first film. An unexpected highlight was “Get Lost,” sung by the mysterious Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), which inspires Moana to get them all to safety before continuing on their voyage.

Be sure to stick around for the post-credits scene, which definitely implies the future Moana installments. The scene feels more like a Marvel-style teaser post-credits scene than the cute comedic finish typical of Disney’s animated films, but that isn’t a bad thing. It just shows that Disney is serious about continuing Moana’s story.

It seems possible that there may be an animated Moana series on Disney+ around the same time we get the live-action adaptation, like the approach taken with 2023’s live-action The Little Mermaid and 2024’s animated series Ariel. Adding to Moana’s story next will be the live-action Moana, starring Catherine Laga’aia and The Rock, currently filming and scheduled for theatrical release on July 10, 2026.

Rating: 8/10

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