It’s been a year since the disastrous debacle known as Disney’s Wish. After a hard pivot, can the newly converted feature film, Moana 2, break a horrible trend of bad Disney Animated films? Let’s not hold our breath.
Some time has passed since the first Moana film. Our heroine is now a wave finder, and with her trusty, non-speaking animals Pua (pig) and Heihei (rooster), Moana is on the search for other people and tribes on other islands. Not knowing of any other people except her own, Heihei stumbles across an artifact confirming the existence of other tribes.
“…determined to find Motufetu and hopefully meet other tribes, but the journey is long and dangerous, and she can’t do it alone.”
Moana quickly returns to her family to discuss the next steps. She sees the ghostly visage of one such wave finder who was lost at sea on the same journey Moana is about to take. The spirit encourages her to follow his path to the hidden island of Motufetu, which was once the central island for all the people of the Pacific Islands.
Moana is determined to find Motufetu and hopefully meet other tribes, but the journey is long and dangerous, and she can’t do it alone. Assisting her are engineering genius Loto (Rose Matafeo), grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane), and Maui superfan Moni (Hualālai Chung). To this point, Maui (Dwayne Johnson) is missing, being held captive by the magical Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), who needs Moana to secure her freedom.
In case you are wondering, Moana 2 is Disney Animation’s return to form. The island scenery is gorgeous, the character designs are incredible, and the character movements are on par with what Walt Disney Animation had been producing before Strange World and Wish. Walt Disney’s return as the gold standard of animation is intact.
"…Disney Animation's return to form."
