[Rating: Minor Rock Fist Down]
Something at Disney needs to give. They were once a company I invested my heart and soul into when it came to their animated features, but now I care less about each announcement they make of things to come. And why is that? What is the underlying factor? Alas, the sequel is now the destroyer of any creativity Disney once had in their long line of magical products.
Moana 2 (directed by the trio of David Derrick, Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller) is yet another safe (and boy, do I mean safe) bet for Disney to make sure they bring in a profit. It’s a sad state of affairs from a sequel that doesn’t have any of the charm the first film has, nor any of the catchy music we were graced with in 2016.
Set three years after the events of the first film, Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is a full fledged wayfinder. She makes it her task to journey the ocean with her pet pig, Pua and chicken, Hei Hei, searching for any sign of other lands where people live. The ocean assigns Moana the task of finding a hidden island, Motufetu, which will connect other inhabitants of the oceans together. Moana brings along a crew of: inventor Loto (Rose Matafeo), farmer Kele (David Fane) and strong man Moni (Hualālai Chung) to help her in her quest to defeat the curse that made the island sink.
Meanwhile, everybody’s favorite demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) is under his own stress when he’s taken prisoner inside of a giant clam. Once rescued, he joins Moana’s crew as the demigod who will help raise the lost island, while Moana and her crew can finish their task. All of this through song and dance numbers. Yay.
Okay, what I didn’t like the most about this, was how forgettable this was. Moana had such inspired songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda who doesn’t return for the sequel. Like Wish last year, Disney has brought in singer/songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear who are not names familiar with most. None of the songs (which mind you, are the things that sell Disney for me) are memorable. The big “I want” song is so lackluster, Moana cries out “I am Moana” and I had to keep my eyes from going too far in the back of my head.
The story too is terribly forgettable. Fun fact, this was going to be a limited series before being edited as a feature length. It shows too in various parts where I figured would be the end of one episode, and the start of a new one. One character, Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) is introduced, given a traditional villain song, and then left to do absolutely nothing. Talk about a letdown!
Moana 2 is, simply put, not good. Most Disney movies are some of the most memorable experiences, and this fails hard. I sadly have hopes for what is to come (Zootopia 2), but I need to stop pushing myself to hopes I know will magically not be met.
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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