Review Roundup: MOANA 2- Does the Sequel Live Up to Disney's 2016 Hit?

Land ho! The sequel to Disney's 2016 animated hit Moana has arrived and critics are weighing in on the long-awaited musical, which reprises the voice talents of Auli‘i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, and Nicole Scherzinger. Originally planned as a Disney+ series, the sequel utilizes the talents of Barlow & Bear, who replace Lin-Manuel Miranda as writer of the original songs. Moana 2 will be released in theaters tomorrow, November 27. Find out below if the new movie lives up the first!

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical “Moana 2” reunites Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) and Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. 

The voice cast also includes Hualālai Chung as Moni, Rose Matafeo as Loto, David Fane as Kele, Awhimai Fraser as Matangi, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as Simea, Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Rachel House as Gramma Tala, Gerald Faitala Ramsey as Tautai Vasa, and Alan Tudyk as Heihei. Directed by Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller and David G. Derrick Jr., from a script by Jared Bush and Ledoux Miller, the film is produced by Yvett Merino and Christina Chen and executive produced by Jennifer Lee, Bush and Johnson. 

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Owen Gleiberman, Variety: "Moana 2” is an okay movie, an above-average kiddie roller-coaster, and a piece of pure product in a way that the first “Moana,” at its best, transcended. The new movie wears you down to win you over; it’s a just efficient enough delivery system for follow-your-dreams inspiration to be a major holiday hit."

Lovia Gyarke, The Hollywood Reporter: "From the moment Moana and her team save Maui from Matangai’s prison, Moana 2 builds impressive action sequences on a relatively weak story. Bush and Ledoux Miller’s screenplay packs in funnier jokes but it lacks the narrative roundedness of its predecessor, with members of Moana’s skillful crew being especially shortchanged."

Brian Truitt, USA Today: "Other animated sequels suck the life out of a property and leave it a charmless husk of its former self (staring at you, “Frozen II”). This “Moana” instead charts different avenues for how far she’ll go – next up is a live-action redo of the first movie, but there’s plenty of vital seascape left for an animated threequel or even a Disney+ series. And for that? You’re welcome, "Moana" diehards."

Alison Willmore, Vulture: "Moana 2 looks pretty, at least, with the azure-blue waterscapes of the anthropomorphized ocean stretching out to the horizon. But it doesn’t feel like a true sequel so much as it feels like a souped-up version of one of the direct-to-video affairs that Disney used to pump out for all of its big releases."

David Fear, Rolling Stone: "Is Moana 2 better than the straight-to-video sequels Disney used to grant their most popular titles back in the day? Of course it is, and the animation of these sun-dappled Pacific Island landscapes, the aqua-blue gulfs and roiling ocean waves, and the purple-hued meteorological phenomenons couldn’t look more awe-inspiring... Cravalho’s voice is still a powerfully wielded weapon of choice, though with Miranda AWOL (Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear are on songwriting duty this time around), there isn’t a single new earworm on the level of “We Know the Way” or “You’re Welcome.” 

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: "Originally planned as a TV series, now a feature film, Moana 2 is the sequel to Disney’s smash-hit family animation Moana from 2016, and really it’s a vacuum-packed slice of digital IP content, a perky ChatGPT iteration of love, laughter and belonging."

Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com: "If there's one thing that works about "Moana 2," it's the visual artistry that a 2020s Disney budget brings to a production like this one. You can almost touch the flowing water and feel the breeze as it moves through the hair of the characters, who are also individually well-designed. From Maui's tattoos to the colorful coconut tribe to the aforementioned clam, "Moana 2" is never boring to look at. It's eye candy, but the legend of Moana deserved something more nutritious."

Carlos Aguilar, IGN: "Considering that a live-action remake of Moana (with Johnson reprising his role in the flesh) is less than two years away, Moana 2’s inability to tell a brand new story with these characters and this setting speaks to a sickness plaguing Hollywood studios: an aversion, even disdain, towards originality."

Kate Erbland, IndieWire: "It’s always a tough ask to improve upon an original, but “Moana 2” is a sprightly addition to this sea-faring legacy. It does something nearly impossible in our sequel-glutted world: made me want further adventures. “Moana 3,” ahoy?"

BJ Colangelo, SlashFilm: "Moana 2" bites off a bit more than it can chew at times, and the pacing is as smooth as it can be for a series that was condensed into a feature film, but it's hard to be bothered by any of the film's shortcomings when "Moana" stories embody resilience, the pursuit of curiosity, community-building, defying gendered expectations, and embracing personal growth."

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