The warm Polynesian spirit and open-sea sense of adventure is back in but little of the original鈥檚 humor or catchy songs finds its way into this heartfelt but lackluster sequel set three years after the original.
鈥淢oana 2,鈥� which opens in theaters Wednesday, was originally put into development as a streaming series before it was rerouted the big screen. Curiously, though, it鈥檚 not scale or spectacle lacking here. Directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller have made an often dazzlingly animated film that is, visually, a step up from 2016鈥檚 鈥淢oana.鈥�
But in a story that brings in a literal boatload of new characters, it鈥檚 hard to shake the feeling that 鈥淢oana 2鈥� got caught in the crosswinds 鈥� too blown between shifting studio imperatives to really find its own way.
That鈥檚 a shame because the original 鈥淢oana鈥� is about the lightest, most joyful animated movie Disney has made in a decade 鈥� with the possible exception of which likewise bounced to the buoyant rhythms of songs by . (Miranda is crucially absent in 鈥淢oana 2,鈥� though 鈥淗amilton鈥� director Thomas Kail is currently developing a live-action 鈥淢oana.鈥�)
Photorealistic remakes have been the more dominant providence of the Magic Kingdom in recent years, a trend that鈥檚 made more whimsical, imagination-filled animations like 鈥淢oana鈥� all the more exceptional. Here was a movie that somehow balanced Pacific Island cultural authenticity with the cartoony delights of a demigod turned accidental shark and Jemaine Clement as a singing, flaunting giant crab. Talk about win win.
Such inventiveness is harder to come by in the perfectly earnest but not especially inspired 鈥淢oana.鈥� It opens with a visibly grown Moana (Auli鈥檌 Cravalho, returning) engaged in a search for evidence of Pacific Islanders beyond her home island. She is by now a mythic figure, herself, to her people, idolized by youngsters for her courage and for being 鈥渟uper-besties鈥� with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, also back).
When Moana turns up an artifact with evidence of a two-peaked island, Motufetu, fabled as the once binding center of their ancestors, she sets out to find the cursed island and reunite the disparate people of Oceania. This time, though, Moana is sailing with a more crowded boat.
Some of the old sidekicks 鈥� the rooster Heihei (with noises courtesy of Alan Tudyk) and the pig Pua 鈥� are back. But Moana decides she needs human help this time, and brings along a crew featuring the uber Maui fan Moni (Hual膩lai Chung), the engineer Loto (Rose Matefeo) and the curmudgeonly older farmer Kele (David Fane).
Each of these characters has one generic note to play, and while you could see the need to add in more personalities for a series (Moana also now has a cute little sister, voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), they are effectively dead weight in 鈥淢oana 2.鈥�
To me, the iconic image of these films is Moana as a solo adventurer, leaning against the wind in her camakau and setting an unknown course. Sure, Maui is inevitably her buddy-comedy partner in adventure, but Moana and her canoe should permit passengers no more than John Wayne did on his horse.
After an encounter with the coconut brigade of the Kakamora, Moana and Maui eventually reunite via a giant clam, where Maui has been trapped by Matangai (Awhimai Fraser, having fun), a mysterious, bat-adorned figure who鈥檚 a kind of villain for the movie. She鈥檚 more interesting than some recent Disney antagonists and gets probably the best song (鈥淕et Lost鈥�) in a movie that mightily misses Miranda鈥檚 touch. (The songs are by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.)
That scene and the climactic one, with a sea of tornadoes spinning across stormy waters, are vividly drawn 鈥� enough, surely, to delight younger moviegoers. Coming fast on the heels of 鈥淲icked,鈥� one of the most salient selling points of 鈥淢oana 2鈥� may be its comparatively nimble running time. At 100 minutes, it鈥檚 a full hour shorter than
Ironically, 鈥淢oana 2鈥� 鈥� beefed up from a would-be series 鈥� has brevity in its favor. But the hopes for 鈥淢oana 2鈥� should go beyond mere placeholder. Only a few times does the banter between Moana and Maui really remind you of the fun that characterized the original. In one such moment, Moana corrects Maui after he calls her 鈥� perhaps confusing Moana for many other Disney protagonists 鈥� a princess. His comeback? 鈥淲ell, a lot of people think you are.鈥�
鈥淢oana 2,鈥� a Walt Disney Co. release is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for action/peril. Running time: 100 minutes. Two stars out of four.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
