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Chris Gore and Alan Ng review “Moana 2,” now playing in theaters.
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Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:03
all right let's talk Moana 2 this is the
0:06
sequel to the original Moana which I
0:10
believe was a hit back in what was it
0:13
2016 yeah and at one time the highest
0:16
streaming uh streaming movie on Disney
0:19
plus within the last year I believe yeah
0:23
so it was a hit you know definitely a
0:26
hit back then when it first came out to
0:30
was kind of haphazardly put together a a
0:34
different team did the animation in
0:36
Vancouver there was a proposed there was
0:40
a a Disney plus Moana series that was
0:43
happening and at the last minute they
0:47
opened a slot up and said uh turn that
0:49
TV series into a movie yeah that's right
0:52
a movie and so the result is Moana 2
0:55
Allan if you would tell us the story for
0:58
Moana 2
1:00
okay um so Moana this takes place
1:04
several years after the events in Moana
1:06
Moana is a full-fledged uh wave finder
1:10
or way
1:11
wayfinder I I'm getting this mixed up
1:13
but uh she uh basically what's happening
1:16
is her people uh are living on this
1:18
island and yet they are isolated they
1:20
don't know what's beyond they don't know
1:22
if there are even other people out there
1:24
and so the movie opens up with her on
1:26
this island she's searching the island
1:29
uh with all its animal she's there with
1:30
Pua and heii and uh they find a they
1:34
find a cup a piece of pottery that was
1:36
made by by another culture and it's
1:40
proof that there are other people out
1:41
there and so she brings it back uh and
1:44
says look there are people out there and
1:46
then she has a dream a dream that
1:49
there's this uh there's this island
1:51
called I believe
1:52
mulu um which is basically the Hub of uh
1:56
of civilization at the at one time a
1:59
very long time ago
2:00
uh this one island is where all all
2:02
people came and uh we all interacted and
2:05
that island disappeared and Moana is
2:09
given a quest by the spirits uh to go
2:12
and find this island and uh and call to
2:15
other people and show that uh and to to
2:19
uh so that she can learn more about
2:21
herself her identity and the world
2:23
around her uh but but it's but that that
2:27
island is gone uh and by a curse and
2:31
it's up to Moana to break the curse with
2:32
the help of Maui but can she do it can
2:35
she bring the world's peoples together H
2:38
that's Moana too and she's not a
2:41
princess well let's talk about this for
2:44
let's get into it the story is so
2:47
convoluted it's an excuse to go on a
2:50
journey that becomes like some video
2:52
video game Quest yeah or a TV show Quest
2:56
let's let's put it that way it's just a
2:58
simple Quest best film they keep the
3:01
Rocks character uh what's his name uh
3:05
Maui Maui they keep him kind of hidden
3:08
for half the movie until they reunite
3:11
and I forgot like oh yeah that's right
3:13
he has these Godlike he's a demigod so
3:15
has he has these powers and the sort of
3:18
clever like tattoo that talks to him
3:21
here's the trouble with this it's all a
3:25
story that would appeal to a
3:28
six-year-old this is a movie this is a
3:31
movie that is really based on it's
3:34
supposed to be a series as we said but
3:36
it's really for singled digigit age
3:40
children it's it's so
3:43
simple-minded with such generic I mean
3:47
the songs are so so the story is
3:50
convoluted and excuses for light shows
3:54
like everything is a light light show
3:56
and this thing and this power and this
3:59
it's it's it's dull in that and then
4:01
Moana herself is beyond a Mary Sue she
4:06
has all these powers that are
4:09
unexplained she's she's the bestest ever
4:12
at everything literally has no struggles
4:15
whatsoever Am I Wrong story arc yeah
4:17
there's no character Arc correct me if
4:19
I'm wrong on any of this there's no
4:21
fatal flaw in MO she has no flaw in fact
4:25
the whole tribe is looking to her like
4:27
Moana save us right yeah
4:30
it's a job for it is literally and she's
4:33
they make it very clear not a princess
4:36
right I think um The Rock has his
4:38
character Maui has like two funny lines
4:41
in the whole movie they're actually like
4:43
oh that was funny yeah um and one of
4:46
them references her as being a princess
4:48
it's like you're not a princess but but
4:49
a lot of people think you are yeah yeah
4:51
exactly but this this I mean it's like
4:54
it's this is these are Marvel movies for
4:57
young girls she's a Superhero at this
4:59
point
5:00
might as well be a superhero it's it's
5:03
um I mean it's kind of cheesy and dumb
5:07
and for
5:08
kids and uh I I could just I mean I was
5:12
bored even though the movie is short
5:14
it's 90 minute it's around 90 I'll check
5:18
it's short so it doesn't over it's an
5:21
hour 40 okay it's it's a 100 minutes 100
5:24
minutes 100 minutes fine okay thank
5:27
thankfully but literally this is not one
5:30
of those movies that um both parents and
5:34
kids will like it's a movie I think that
5:37
only will appeal to young kids and
5:39
therefore I think it will do very well
5:41
this weekend I think it's going to do
5:44
really well and then when word gets out
5:47
it's like oh god parents will be we I
5:51
need you know I need something more so
5:54
it's it's it's yeah I did not like this
5:57
film at all it's mid at best yeah I mean
6:01
barely a four for me it's just it's not
6:04
like it's not like we were talking
6:06
earlier about Coco Coco amazing yeah
6:09
amazing a nine that's a nine that
6:12
appeals to all levels of the family aana
6:15
is only for little children and worst
6:19
the final thing I'll say and I'll throw
6:21
it to you Allan the songs the songs are
6:24
so generic and forgettable it's like be
6:27
yourself be yourself
6:30
and be the best self of you and you
6:32
should be you be proud to be who you are
6:35
and be who you are and be yourself and
6:39
who you are it's it's a it's a song for
6:42
a
6:42
four-year-old and nothing was catchy the
6:45
only songs that were catchy were from
6:48
the last movie which they
6:51
reused so it's a hard pass for me it's
6:55
barely a it's in it's it's below four
6:58
score
7:00
and uh cannot recommend Alan what' you
7:03
think yeah uh so I'll start good um
7:05
animation's incredible uh you know we we
7:08
talked about wish for an entire year
7:11
wish came out a year ago let's remind
7:13
everybody uh of which we quickly hit
7:15
100,000 subscribers not too long after
7:18
that um you know it's they're back to
7:21
form this this is a gorgeous it's a
7:23
beautiful movie shot composition uh the
7:26
special effects fantastic water is very
7:29
diffult to animate well done I love the
7:31
animation in this movie uh kudos to
7:34
Disney Welcome Back uh thanks for moving
7:37
all the good people to
7:40
Vancouver um but you're right this movie
7:43
is Bland as hell uh as you say the story
7:47
is a quest Moana has to do a thing uh
7:50
and but this time friends to do her
7:53
thing with she has an old crotchety
7:56
farmer uh she has a female engineer and
7:59
then she has a Maui Super Fan who's
8:01
who's uh who's got some we'll give him
8:04
that um none of them fall in love with
8:06
each other um
8:08
thankfully uh because heaven fored
8:10
romance should ever appear in a Disney
8:11
movie ever again um and uh the thing is
8:17
is it's clear that this was a uh a TV
8:20
show before and that the story and that
8:22
they're trying to piece together some
8:24
pieces of it uh because the TV look
8:27
season one of Moana the TV series is is
8:29
Moana finding this island you know and
8:32
that's the end of it and then all these
8:33
people come back and then along the way
8:35
she has these adventures and I'm sure
8:37
there episodes where she where one of
8:39
the her friends has an important part
8:41
for example the crotchy farmer uh here
8:44
she goes on this long Quest on a boat
8:46
and she needs to bring a farmer aboard
8:49
that makes zero sense when you're just
8:51
on a boat going on adventure but it
8:52
makes sense if the idea is you're
8:54
finding an island to populate you need
8:56
to bring vegetation but that's never
8:59
addressed
9:00
uh at all in the movie other than the
9:01
reason why he's there um the stem the
9:04
stem uh friend you know we got to make
9:07
the boat better and faster okay um you
9:10
know you know all these supporting
9:12
characters you know probably would have
9:14
been developed over a series but here
9:16
they're barely touched upon um they they
9:19
they they're important for a a moment in
9:22
the play in the movie uh and then they
9:24
go away there's a supposed uh an
9:28
antagonist uh her name is uh she's she's
9:31
also a
9:32
demigod um and uh she sings this song
9:35
Get Lost uh so so Ma and friends are
9:38
trapped they're in they're in this uh
9:40
place they can't escape and this villain
9:44
because she looks like a villain so
9:46
therefore she must be but probably she's
9:47
not uh another bad Trope but you know
9:51
she's tells she tells Moana to get lost
9:54
you know don't don't follow the map uh
9:56
instead of following the map uh get lost
9:58
you know they there's some irony there
10:00
and she sings a song about getting lost
10:03
and to speak to the bad songs the the
10:06
song Get Lost is an interesting idea you
10:08
know don't you don't necess need to
10:09
follow the map but the song is just
10:12
basically the the title sung over and
10:14
over again and then lines supporting the
10:17
title of the song which is the problem
10:19
with all the songs in this the every
10:21
song uh is is the title of the song and
10:26
then all the lyrics support the title of
10:28
the song we're back guess what guess
10:30
what the song we're back is about it's
10:32
about Moana coming back uh and the
10:35
person she is when she's back um my wish
10:38
for you yeah you know uh my wish for you
10:40
you know it's like uh you know that's
10:43
something a parent would tell a child
10:44
but there's very little depth in it um
10:47
let's see uh finding the way you know
10:51
that's a song about finding the way I
10:53
mean and um I'll say I'll say this
10:55
though wait if I can interrupt you for a
10:57
second that's fine for TV mhm like all
11:01
of this in fact this would have been
11:03
fine as a TV show it's on parents aren't
11:07
paying much attent attention to it kids
11:10
are mesmerized okay as a movie this
11:13
should never have been a movie yeah this
11:16
is this is
11:18
look when when uh when when bad Disney
11:22
musicals come out uh and I say it's a
11:24
bad Disney musical people come out after
11:26
me and saying it's not that bad these
11:27
songs were great um I will tell you what
11:30
makes a Disney soundtrack great
11:32
especially for one of his musicals U
11:34
after you see the movie your child makes
11:37
you play the soundtrack on the way home
11:40
and then your child makes you play the
11:42
soundtrack every time you're in the car
11:44
and then your child begins to sing the
11:46
soundtrack uh in in the car and at home
11:49
and constantly um you know I think in
11:53
Kanto is the last one we're still
11:54
listening to Encanto we still listen to
11:56
both Frozen movies we still listen to
11:58
the first MO a movie this one you will
12:01
never play again uh these songs have no
12:03
meaning have no depth uh these songs are
12:07
you know there is a rap song because you
12:09
have to have one because ly Manuel
12:11
Miranda wrote the first one there's a
12:13
rap song that is impossible to sing uh
12:17
kids will take the challenge but um no
12:19
one will sing it and then you don't have
12:21
an iconic song like um uh you know the
12:24
I'm sorry song that uh that Maui had
12:27
it's it's completely uh
12:30
forgettable the entire thing and you
12:33
know uh there look I mentioned it in our
12:36
reaction or out of the theater action um
12:39
if you're afraid of the water moan 2 is
12:41
great for you because it doesn't go that
12:43
deep and uh you know and this is this is
12:46
the problem okay this is the problem
12:49
Disney has been having across the board
12:51
with all with everything Muppets Marvel
12:54
Star Wars Disney animation is it doesn't
12:58
it it forgot how to tell
12:59
stories forgot how to tell compelling
13:02
stories uh because this one you know you
13:07
is very difficult to to connect with the
13:11
quest of Moana because she's perfect and
13:13
and I had to bring it to you we're not
13:15
perfect and kids are not perfect and
13:18
when you can show when when you tell a
13:20
story about a young girl who has who is
13:23
trying to overcome something overcome a
13:25
weakness in herself and then is sent on
13:28
a quest that requires her to overcome
13:30
that weakness to complete the quest you
13:32
have a great movie that kids can connect
13:33
to this this one doesn't have it because
13:35
all Moana has to do is find a thing an
13:38
island uh and then get the get the thing
13:41
above the ground and that's that's your
13:43
plot and uh uh uh let's see the last
13:47
thing I'll say is uh oh now I forgot it
13:50
so what's well what's the your verdict
13:53
on four out of four out of 10 the
13:55
animation's
13:57
great I I agree with you the animation
13:59
is great but that's not enough to save
14:01
that's not enough it's it's a you you
14:04
have to have a story you have to a
14:06
compelling
14:07
character um and it's just not there
14:11
let's go to your comments here oh let me
14:14
the okay here's the one thing I I
14:16
remember there's a song at the end where
14:20
Moana completes the task and all the
14:22
spirits and all the ancest from around
14:24
come together and they all sing the song
14:26
in the Polynesian language um and
14:29
there's no
14:30
subtitles uh I I hate to break it to you
14:33
but if you're gonna put a song an Anthem
14:36
song your movie uh in another language
14:40
um it means nothing if we have no idea
14:42
what they're saying and uh I Know It
14:46
Disney may have the animation back but
14:48
they don't have storytelling they don't
14:50
have character development back and uh
14:52
that's what scares me about the future
14:54
of Disney films uh that we went over
14:56
earlier I I just don't trust the fact
14:58
that they can tell a story
15:11
[Music]
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