Moana 2 suffered critically when compared to 2016’s Moana, with some consistent points leading to the film’s 61% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2024 sequel to 2016’s animated hit, Moana 2 brought back the titular Wayfinder for a new adventure. Moana 2‘s cast expands to fit the scope of this journey, with a trio of new characters joining Moana (and eventually her wayward demigod friend, Maui) as they search for a mysterious lost island in hopes of breaking an ancient curse.
Originally planned as a mini-series, Moana 2‘s $1 billion at the box office proved that Walt Disney Animation still has a home on the big screen. However, the film suffered critically, especially when compared to the rousing success of Moana. Moana 2 was still rated fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, but only scored a 61% positive score in comparison to Moana‘s certified fresh score of 95%. Across the hundreds of reviews for the film, there were some common points that weighed the film down in the eyes of critics.
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Moana 2 Originally Being A TV Show Hurts Its Story
Moana 2‘s Episodic Nature Doesn’t Translate Perfectly To Film Form
Moana 2 suffered critically compared to Moana, in large part due to the nature of the film’s story. Moana 2 was initially planned as a mini-series for the Disney+ streaming service, necessitating a larger scope and cast of characters. When the plot was condensed to fit a feature-length film, many of those elements remained and quickly over-crowded the narrative. While the story is fine and Moana 2‘s new characters like Loto are fun additions to, the plot of the movie feels very disjointed. The plot is practically episodic, with little direct connective tissue between the set-pieces set in new locations.
Moana: The Series was announced in December 2020 and was initially set for a release on Disney+ in 2023. In February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger formally announced that the series had been reworked into a film, leading to the release of Moana 2 in November 2024.
That might have worked as a show, but the elements of Moana 2 that would have benefited with the extra space afforded by television don’t quite land in the film. Without the necessary room to flesh out each of these minor adventures, the film becomes frantic plot-wise and can’t zero in on a strong thematic core that connects everything. This was a common criticism for Moana 2, with Radheyan Simonpillai of Globe and Mail explaining that the serialized nature of the storyline presented “one obstacle after another, though none feel rooted in or consequential to any emotional beats.”
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Moana 2’s Songs Aren’t As Memorable
Moana 2‘s Music Is Good, But Not As Great As The Music From Moana
One of the things that truly helped elevate Moana when it was released was a truly catchy soundtrack of modern classics of the Disney musical canon. Lin-Manuel Miranda is considered one of the greatest songwriters of the current era, and his lyrical talents are on full display in Moana. However, with Miranda shifting focus to Mufasa: The Lion King during Moana 2‘s development, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear took over songwriting duties. While the music in Moana 2 is solid enough on its own, it suffers in comparison to the original film.
The songs in Moana 2 are good in their own right, but have a hard time standing up next to hits like “You’re Welcome” and “I’ll Go,” and critics were quick to call that out.
Many reviews argued that the new songs just couldn’t compare to the heights of Moana‘s soundtrack. Screen Crush’s Matt Singer made the case that “Moana’s musical numbers were its greatest strength; Moana 2’s musical numbers are its biggest weakness.” Even positive reviews of the film like Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune noted that the musical numbers in the film were of “varying quality.” The songs in Moana 2 are good in their own right, but have a hard time standing up next to hits like “You’re Welcome” and “I’ll Go,” and critics were quick to call that out.
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Moana 2 Couldn’t Replicate The Charm Of Moana And Maui’s Dynamic
The Charming Double Act At The Heart Of Moana Is Absent For Much Of Moana 2
Many critics of Moana 2 noted that the addition of Moana’s crew meant that one of the key emotional elements of the first film was almost entirely absent for the first half of Moana 2: Maui and Moana’s dynamic. The first film is largely a double-act between the pair of them, with their rocky beginnings and steady efforts to help one another developing into Moana‘s core emotional throughline. By contrast, Moana 2 literally writes Maui into a cave for the first half and only reunites him with Moana halfway through the plot.
Nell Minow of Movie Mom enjoyed the film overall, but compared it negatively to the first Moana by noting that it “takes much too long to reunite Maui and Moana.” Without that core dynamic, Moana 2 has less room to focus on the natural chemistry that developed between the characters. When they are reunited, Moana 2 picks up steam and heads towards an exciting conclusion. However, more time with Moana and Maui together, even with the added complications of new crewmates, could have made the film more enjoyable and potentially earned the film better reviews.
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Moana 2 Was Too Focused On Worldbuilding And Too Little On The Story
Concepts Like Nalo Didn’t Feel Like Fully Fleshed Out Characters
Moana 2 opens up a massive world for Moana to explore and gives her a reason to set out on an adventure. However, Moana 2 never really zeroes in on the character motivations for anyone, outside of a light moral of the importance of teamwork. This extends to the antagonists, with the central threat of the film largely absent from the entire movie. Screen Rant’s Mae Abdulbaki argued that the worst aspect of the film was the way the Nalo was missing until the post-credits scene, his villainous intentions never explored from a character perspective.
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Nalo was the worst culprit, but the entire cast suffered from a lack of clear motivation that tied directly into their arcs. The result was a movie that felt like it was lacking in memorable character moments or story beats, instead focusing on overloading the audience with lore dumps and divine missions. This leads to a forgettable adventure that may be exciting in the moment but fails to stand out on its own. As Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com noted, “even the most Disney-fied family members will have trouble remembering much about it by the time the credits are done rolling.”
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Moana 2 Never Feels Like A Single Story
Moana Lacks A Singular Coherent Thematic Storyline
One of the underlying flaws to Moana 2, at least in the eyes of the film’s critics, is that it doesn’t feel quite as complete of a film as the first one. Moana’s adventures and emotional growth at in Moana 2 times feel repetitive of her growth from the first movie, repeating her arc of having to believe in herself and her capabilities. The side characters don’t contribute to the thematic throughline of the film, playing up the light moral but having little concrete impact on the movie itself. Maui is missing for most of it, the villains are largely absent, and the adventures are too disconnected to work.
The result is a movie that never feels quite like a complete story. This might be a lingering result of the shift from mini-series to film, as the intentions behind the show and the film were different before an impressive animation showcase convinced the Disney higher-ups to convert it into a film. Jake Coyle of the Associated Press noted that “it’s hard to shake the feeling that “Moana 2” got caught in the crosswinds — too blown between shifting studio imperatives to really find its own way.” This is a far criticism, as Moana 2 can’t quite feel like its own stand-alone piece.
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Moana 2 Couldn’t Escape The Shadow Of Moana’s Success
Moana 2 Was Always Going To Suffer By Comparison To Moana
Because Moana 2 is so deeply trapped in the shadow of Moana, many of its critical apprasials are rooted in the fact that it’s just not as good as the prior film. That can be an unfair comparison, but one that the sequel nature of Moana 2 naturally invites. Moana is a universally beloved film and considered one of the highlights of Walt Disney Animation’s 21st century output. Many critics made this the main crux of their argument against the film, and it was unlikely Moana 2 would ever be compared favorably to the beloved first Moana.
That opinion was even shared by many critics who enjoyed the film. Peter Howell of the Toronto Star noted in his ultimately positive review for Moana 2 that “when the cast members gather to sing new the number “What Could Be Better Than This?” I couldn’t help but think, “A lot of things, especially the first Moana.” The billion-dollar success of Moana 2 proves audiences are still invested in the character. However, Walt Disney Animation can take lessons from the critics of Moana 2 and make any attempt at Moana 3 a more streamlined and unique project.
Source: Globe and Mail, Screen Crush, Chicago Tribune, Movie Mom, Screen Rant, RogerEbert.com, Associated Press, Toronto Star
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