Eight years since the release of the first movie, Disney princess Moana has finally come back to the big screen in “Moana 2.” Being one of my favorite Disney characters, I was extremely excited to see how her character has developed and matured since her original journey to restore the heart of Te Fiti.
I saw the original movie when I was eight years old, and I was filled with a sense of nostalgia seeing all of the returning characters and how much they’ve grown. I thoroughly enjoyed the addition of new characters, and the storyline did a great job of building on the ending of the first movie from 2016 to create an even more stunning adventure.
However, while I have much praise, I’m slightly disappointed because the movie did not meet my hopeful expectations of another iconic soundtrack; the best way I could describe it is mediocre.
First, the pros. I’ve rewatched the first “Moana” movie dozens of times, and the reason I continue to enjoy it every time is because of Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana. Her vocal skill is absolutely undeniable and continues to shine in “Moana 2,” despite the downgrade in the soundtrack. Her singing is beautiful, and her rendition of “Beyond” from the movie is most likely going into one of my playlists, as I couldn’t get the chorus out of my head for days.
Furthermore, the way she displays Moana’s maturity and growth provokes an emotional response from viewers–at least, from me. This is the first time a Disney princess has been allowed to age up (Moana was 16 in the original movie, now she’s 19), and Cravalho nailed it. Although most Disney princesses remain teenagers, seeing a princess grown into a young adult is refreshing.
Because Cravalho was 14 when she was first cast for the role and 24 when voicing Moana for the sequel, viewers can definitely hear a difference in voice register, which evokes nostalgia within viewers who saw the original movie in theaters in seeing how much she’s grown. Not only that, but the storyline and songs also show Moana’s character development as someone who has become more confident in herself.
The film also did an excellent job with portraying Polynesian culture and inclusion of different Pacific Islanders. The filmmakers consulted with many Pacific Islanders to ensure accurate representation of their cultures and traditions, and they explored the importance of home, family, community and connection, which are all qualities that resonate within the general Pacific Island cultures, according to Samoan poet Penehuro Williams. Furthermore, the beautiful animation from the first movie carried over into the second. While watching the movie, it felt like I was in the ocean with the characters. Seeing the animation of the water and islands done with such care, and the level of detail on hair texture, lighting and even the wetness of their eyes was incredible.
Now, the cons. Although I’d known that Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the soundtrack for the original Moana, was not coming back for the sequel, I still hoped that the songs would still be as catchy and impactful as the first’s. Unfortunately, besides “Beyond,” I was not as satisfied by the rest of the songs, except for maybe “Get Lost.”
It’s clear that these songs were not written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, as Dwayne Johnson (Maui) was forced to rhyme “Moana” with “come on-a,” which saying out loud sounds silly. There aren’t any bangers right off the bat, while the original movie just had hit after hit, and the rest of the soundtrack just sounds like cheap imitations of Miranda’s original work. I’m still waiting for the songs to grow on me.
This sequel had many more pros than cons, and I’m sure that many audiences will love this movie for years to come. Despite some other critics stating that the movie lacked a big enough climax, I felt that the emotional journey was the true aim of the movie, and was extremely satisfying to me. The big themes of the film include perseverance, identity and embracing one’s own destiny, and these are portrayed through a blend of fun adventure and deep emotional moments. Overall, I’d give this movie four out of five stars, and I would still give it a strong recommendation, especially for younger kids.
