Moana 2 | Review | The Film Blog

★★★★

Warmly received by children and critics, Moana proved to be the perfect antidote to Frozen fever in 2016. The long icy shadow was strong but Musker and Clements’ sun kissed, the ocean adventure provided both a brief thaw and an opportunity for the parents to finally…let go. You are welcome. However, decent box office returns didn’t immediately jumpstart the sequel train. For all of Disney’s prowess at monetizing intellectual property, follow-ups have rarely been the animation studio’s modus operandi. Only three in a hundred years. It’s the race for streaming content that has taken over Moana 2but initially in the form of a long-lasting limited series. Apparently, quality alone inspired the cinematic upgrade, although one suspects a financially disappointing 2023 played a role. This one, at least, is going to be huge.

Overall, you won’t notice the difference. Each time it has happened, the transition has been almost seamless and with great success. Moana 2 is another great Disney musical for the brilliant collection, boasting dazzling visuals, a winning score, and a heartfelt arc. Additionally, there is a real sense of developed maturity here. In the same way that DreamWorks has aged Hiccup and company with each new entry in the How to train your dragon series, Moana 2 finds its hero and his family, three years in advance and with an eye on an increasingly near horizon. The obvious intention to continue beyond the sequel is curious. It will certainly be interesting to see how far they go.

The passage of time of course cuts both ways here. A script by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, Disney’s first Pasifikan creator, draws more intensely on their hero’s heritage, allowing for a more open relationship with the Polynesian context in which the film exists. This is a story rooted in ancestral expectations and a soundtrack of a much more oceanic orientation than before. It’s bold and beautiful to that end, with time and attention devoted to a world that is realized in both vast expanse and microcosmic detail – every grain of sand is rendered. Bush and Ledoux Miller paint a deeper canvas than before, richer in communicating the experience of Motunui and the lives of its islanders.

There are downsides to this, however, with the film at times risking scattering its focus due to a widening of its character’s roasting pan. When Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) sets sail this time – called by her ancestors to break the curse of Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i) and thus reunite the peoples of Océana – she does so with a crew of three, without forgetting her rooster and pig. Broad characterization of the sketches does well to draw the whole in at a brisk pace, but each struggles to cope with an increasing number of additions. Maui (Dwayne Johnson) only joins the team halfway, while Awhimai Fraser voices another demigod with great potential but muddled execution. His big number is a zinger but doesn’t quite match. Perhaps more time was given to its diversion in long form? This is one of the few notable victims of condensation. That and some certainty of the plot.

The same is not true when it comes to the scope and vision of the film. These impress on the big screen and would have surprised on the small one. The panoramas are wide, warm and rich in color, undulating over a world all too eager for our visit. Even if the main course is generally the same as before, the dynamic change of a team experience brings new angles of approach and individual development. Moana’s growth as a character shines here, mixed with insecurities that reinforce her fundamental relatability. She’s an action heroine, sure, but a little goofy. Let’s not forget that his best friends are a cute but unhappy pig and a stupid-minded rooster. For what it’s worth, Heihei is even more riotous this time around.

As before, the stakes are higher emotionally than emotionally. It’s a deceptively simple, well-written message that highlights the values ​​of teamwork and hard work. Delivered with such visual flair, these themes sparkle with the sea. It’s a beautiful world full of stories to tell and enriched by the stories already told.

T.S.