Dir: David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualalai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Gerald Ramsey, Alan Tudyk
The visually stunning Disney sequel manages to recapture the beauty of its Polynesian setting but suffers from re-treading familiar emotional beats as well as lacking a notable villain
Despite opening its doors way back in 1937 with the release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, Disney Animation Studios have surprisingly looked to cash in on sequels less frequently than you might think. Growing up as a child in the nineties, the only official cinematic sequel that had been released by Disney Animation to date was “The Rescuers Down Under” in 1990, a personal favourite of mine. Even in my youth I always found it remarkable that so many titles that had been cherished by audiences for years had never gone on to have a sequel more befitting than a cheap straight-to-video release.
Having acquired Pixar in 2006 however, Disney clearly looked to test the waters when it came to sequels with several beloved Pixar classics going on to have follow up titles, these included; “Monsters Inc.”, “Finding Nemo”, “The Incredibles”, “Cars”, “Toy Story” and most recently “Inside Out”. I found it particularly strange that amongst their extensive back catalogue of childhood classics, it was “Wreck-it Ralph” that Disney ultimately landed on when deciding their first animated sequel in two decades. While this has since been followed by a more logical choice in “Frozen II”, Disney still prove to be hesitant when it comes to reviving some their most treasured animated classics, instead opting for the often lacklustre live-action reboot approach instead.
Initially scheduled to be a musical series on Disney+, the studios latest release, “Moana 2”, marks only the fifth animated sequel in the studio’s eighty-seven year history. Produced alongside the upcoming, live-action remake scheduled for 2026, “Moana 2” re-embarks us on yet another ocean spanning adventure against its picturesque Polynesian backdrop.
Three years have passed since wayfinder Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) explored the ocean with the shapeshifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), with our titular heroine now spending her days exploring the surrounding islands in hope of finding people connected to the ocean. In a vision, it is revealed to Moana that the malicious storm god Nalo wanted power over mortals, so he sunk the legendary island of Motufetu, which had previously connected all the islands of the ocean. In a bid to reconnect her people, Moana assembles a crew of fellow islanders from her native Motunui – craftswoman Loto (Rose Matafeo), muscular Maui fanboy Moni (Hualalai Chung), and grumpy farmer Keke (David Fane), alongside her pet pig Pua and bumbling rooster Heihei (Alan Tudyk) – and sets out on a life-affirming journey across the sea in search of Motufetu.
Meanwhile Maui, who is seeking the legendary island himself having had a previous quarrel with Nalo, finds himself in the clutches of Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a mysterious vampiric figure. Despite Matangi’s insistence, Maui remains reluctant in contacting Moana for help, as he fears any mere mortal would not survive the curse that Nalo has over the island, completely unaware that Moana and her crew are already on their way.
Much like when a sequel to “Frozen” was announced several years ago, it makes perfect sense in bringing back one of Disney’s most inspiring modern characters. This decision has proved to be fruitful as “Moana 2” opened with the biggest Thanksgiving weekend in cinematic history, and is on track to becoming one of the highest grossing films of the year, potential dethroning “Inside Out 2” as the highest grossing animated film of all time. This is a testament to the fantastic character design and narrative arc that our powerful protagonist underwent in the first film eight years ago. Unlike most Disney “Princesses”, Moana is very unique in the way of technically not being a princess, a point that is referenced in a cheeky wink to the audience part way through the film. More notably, Moana also does not rely on having a love interest to progress her character, instead she single-handedly drives her story through her own ambition and passion for her fellow islanders, as well as the ocean which she is personally connected to. There are noticeable but subtle tweaks in Moana’s character design here to emphasize how she has matured in-between movies, and it is when we get the almost sibling-like back and forth between her and Maui that this sequel is at its best. Unfortunately these moments are few and far between, as our heroine only finally teams up with the powerful demigod in the third act, instead sharing most of her screentime with an overstuffed crew of ragtag misfits.
There are some interesting character designs and great vocal work for all three of Moana’s island companions, but I found them to offer very little in terms of narrative or character progression for Moana herself. Instead they seem to only prevent her from owning the fact that she is a strong, independent wayfinder, and her island’s only means of salvation. The story in “Moana 2” is so thin, it becomes increasingly evident that this was once planned to be streamed to Disney+ as a series, hence the abundance of unnecessary side characters. I also found this also to be the case with Pua and Heihei. Personally, I do not see the need for Moana to have two animal companions, Heihei does offer some mild comic relief, and his foolish nature often leads to him helping out in some roundabout way, almost ironically. Pua on the other hand (or hoof should I say) offers absolutely nothing towards the story outside of a couple throw-away jokes surrounding several characters’ obsession with eating pork.
Another character that has clearly been stripped for parts in this considerably shorter theatrical release is Matangi. First introduced as Nalo’s enforcer, there was a mischievous side to the bat aficionado that was rather compelling, only for her whole character introduction to be a complete red herring and for her to be never seen or mentioned of again, what a waste of a potential foil for both Moana and Maui. This results in the biggest issue that I found with “Moana 2” – the villain. All great Disney movies have an equally great villain, whether it be Maleficent, Scar, Jafar, Cruella…the list goes on. Nalo however, is devoid of any personality, in fact we do not even see or hear him throughout the entirety of the film, instead he is realised through a number of cataclysmic thunderstorms and tornados. With no real villain to antagonise the audience, there never felt like any real conflict or peril despite our characters consistently being put through the wringer during their arduous journey.
While I did find issues with the story and the supporting characters, both of which clearly being issues following the decision of a theatrical release, I cannot deny that “Moana 2” is a gorgeous piece of animation. Further improving on the fantastical Oceanic setting of the first film, the tropical world that Moana inhabits is one bustling with colour, life and magic. There has been some discord regarding the songs in this sequel, and while they are definitely a downgrade from the first film, I would not go so far to say I hated the songs, they just are’nt all that memorable. The catchiest song by far was Maui’s “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?”, which he sings upon reuniting with Moana, reminding us of his signature catchphrase.
While it lacked the originality and depth of the first film, “Moana 2” is still an enchanting adventure, jampacked of jaw dropping visuals, and further cements our protagonist as one of the best titular characters Disney has produced in recent years. There is plenty more ocean out there for our wayfinder to explore and she will be back again in 2026 in live-action, with Catherina Laga’aia taking over the leading role.
Moana 2 is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
“only the fifth animated sequel in the studio’s eighty-seven year history”
Wow, that is really something, when you think about it…
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They have had a bunch of straight to video sequels but only five official ones
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