Moana 2

That said, Moana 2 is a boring movie, but it has enough eye candy to appeal to children under nine. For the small set, cute animals, cute enemies, and the Pacific Ocean setting are enough to give you ninety minutes of quality babysitting time.

The problem with Moana 2 is the story and song. Storywise, Moana 2 is a quest movie. Moana has to find the hidden island of Motufetu, and her character arc is that she has to solve the puzzle of getting there with her friends. Maui, the demi-god, has to do demi-god feats to reach the story’s final conclusion. Moana also has a group of friends that come along for the journey, and they all just merely exist in the story to serve some purpose at the right time. We don’t really get to know them in any meaningful way. The “antagonist,” Matangi, just appears, sings a song, and disappears for the rest of the movie until she’s needed as sequel material.

Going on a quest is fine, but this means that none of the characters have any flaws. Moana is perfect, and her problem-solving skills will win in the end. Her friends are there to play a role, but it’s really about Moana receiving a great reward for figuring things out. I could use the phrase “Girl Boss,” but the real problem is Moana has no fatal flaw. She’s perfect and therefore unrelatable to us human beings who are not perfect.

“…Moana has no fatal flaw. She’s perfect and therefore unrelatable.”

If you’re afraid of water, Moana 2 is perfect for you because both the story and songs are shallow—no fear of going too deep. Sadly, songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear are tasked with replacing Lin Manuel-Miranda to pen Moana’s songs. Lin Manuel-Miranda left some pretty big shoes to fill, and unfortunately, Barlow and Bear suffer the same problem as many modern Broadway musicals—bland songs with nothing to say.

I’ll give an example, “We’re Back” is the opening song about Moana coming back to her home island. She’s back, and everyone is excited. Nothing meaningful and barely memorable. “Finding the Way” is a song about Moana finding the way to the island and the lyrics are variations on the theme of finding the way. “Get Lost” is sung by one of the film’s antagonists, Matangi, who explains that sometimes finding your way may require you to “get lost” versus following the map. It is an interesting idea for a song, but this ironic song is void of any irony.

In the end, the songs of Moana 2 are boring, bland, and not memorable in any way. I guarantee you won’t be singing any of these songs on long car trips.

Moana 2 is the return to form for the style of animation Disney is known for, but its story and songs fail to venture beyond shallow waters. While it may entertain younger audiences, the lack of depth, non-existent character arcs, and unmemorable music leave this island tale adrift. Disney may be back on track, but this sequel reminds us that even the most adventurous voyages need compelling stories to rise to the level of Disney classics of the past.