When I first heard the news of “Moana 2,” my immediate thought was that “Moana” definitely didn’t need a sequel. Now, after seeing “Moana 2” in theatres, I realized I was right. 

While the movie stunned viewers with its vibrant animation and catchy music, “Moana 2” is written rather poorly; from the clichéd characterization to the numerous plot holes, this movie leaves much to be desired narratively.

Primarily, my main issue is with the titular character Moana. The movie begins in medias res, three years after the original, with Moana on a new mission: to discover the other oceanic peoples across the ocean. No sooner than we see Moana on this search, her ancestors appear to her in a vision. They warn Moana that her own people will die off if she doesn’t connect to the other oceanic peoples. Their warning prompts Moana to gather a crew and set sail for the greater seas. 

While the movie shows the external cause for Moana’s voyage, it doesn’t explain why Moana desires to discover other oceanic peoples in the first place. It doesn’t make sense, especially since Moana had been searching for settlements way before her ancestors called on her.

Additionally, as the movie doesn’t show Moana’s inner motivation for her voyage, viewers aren’t compelled to root for Moana. This is quite unlike the first movie, where we were clearly shown that Moana’s voyage was just as much an external quest to save her island as it was an internal journey of self-discovery in realizing her role as a voyager. 

“Moana 2” could have continued Moana’s self-discovery journey by showing viewers why Moana wants to find other oceanic peoples and what that means to her character. However, since we miss out on her character’s motivation, we are left with an emotionally underwhelming story with little to no internal conflict. 

The comedy is pretty underwhelming as well. On first watch, there were a few cringeworthy moments, but it still got a chuckle or two out of me. However, on my second watch, I was so bored and annoyed by the tired tropes played for laughs. “Moana 2” heavily relies on three side characters who join Moana on her voyage for the comedy: a quirky science geek, an overly enthusiastic fanboy and a grumpy old man. I can’t even remember these characters’ names because they are the most one-note, forgettable characters ever. As a result, the comedy is mostly cheesy and forgettable throughout the movie. 

The lack of substance in the comedy extends to the rest of the film as well, especially in the music. The music of “Moana 2” is a big let-down from the success of the original’s songs. The lyrics in almost all of the songs feel clunky, repetitive and rather shallow. For instance, take a look at the chorus of the song, “Get Lost:”

“Get lost, cut loose, and lose your way / There ain’t no fun in holdin’ back, babe / You gotta enjoy the thrill of livin’ dangerously / You’ve got a long, long way to go / Keep playin’ safe, you’ll never know.”

This song is sung by Matangi, a mysterious demigoddess who Moana meets midway through the movie. Matangi seems to be a secondary antagonist working alongside the main villain, but the movie tries to depict her as a morally grey character. However, a lot of her choices don’t make sense and her actions are confusing and illogical at best. 

There are a few lyrics in “Get Lost” that hint at Matangi’s backstory, but they are rather vague and flowery. The other lyrics merely regurgitate the same ideas of taking risks and getting lost. As a result, Matangi, as a character, did not make any sense to me.

Additionally, some lyrics from this soundtrack are downright egregious. Before the climax of the movie, Maui consoles Moana when she is down in the dumps after a failed attempt at defeating the main villain. Maui’s motivational words come in the form of the song “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?”

This quality of this lyric speaks for itself; the utterly cringe reference to gym culture, the vague statement about legends and the odd pairing of phrases reflecting a poor standard of songwriting that permeates throughout this song and the rest of the soundtrack of “Moana 2.”

On the other hand, the original “Moana” soundtrack was met with great success due to songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda’s evocative storytelling and catchy rhymes. His absence was sorely felt in “Moana 2,” especially during the musical numbers that attempted to imitate his songwriting style.

However, Auliʻi Cravalho, the voice actress for Moana, delivers a powerful and show-stopping performance in her songs and throughout the movie. But, even Cravalho’s amazing voice acting couldn’t save the writing of this movie. There are many displays of magic in this movie that are not explained or just downright confusing. This underbaked storytelling is most prominent in the climax when the conflict ends with a sudden deus ex machina. It felt rather underwhelming, rushed and most of all, confusing.

Despite this, the climax was still enjoyable to a degree due to the animation. The main antagonist is Nalo, the fearsome god of storms; as such, the final showdown between Moana and Nalo involves a lot of weather elements, such as lightning, hurricanes and storms. Disney’s highly-developed CG animation smoothly portrays all of the storms and magic in a vivid and immersive package in “Moana 2.” 

Nevertheless, despite the cool animation and catchy tunes, “Moana 2” is nowhere as poignant or meaningful as the original “Moana” movie. While it was nice to revisit the island of Motunui and see the beautiful blue ocean again, it only brought memories of the wondrous and exciting experience of seeing “Moana” for the first time. Instead of seeing “Moana 2” in theaters, I highly recommend rewatching “Moana” on Disney+ . I guarantee you will make the most out of your time.

Edited by Alyssa Royston | aroyston@themaneater.com 

Copy Edited by Ella McGuire and Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com