Moana 2 review: A joyful sensation

Eight years after the tidal wave of delight that followed Moana’s first voyage, the Polynesian Wayfinder – who remains adamant she’s not a Princess – has returned for her most expansive and ambitious journey yet in Moana 2. 

The seafaring sequel picks up three years after the original adventure, with a now nineteen-year-old Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) who is older, more confident and something of a living legend among her people on Motunui after she restored the heart of Te Fiti with the Demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson). 

Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, Moana 2 emulates everything audiences loved about the first film: enchanting animation, sensational visuals, catchy songs, and empowering messages of the importance of family connection, community and following your heart.

Minor spoilers for Moana 2 below

Long gone is the strong-willed, rebellious teen who was desperate to leave the stifling island that her parents confined her on, and in her place is a light-hearted young woman fulfilled with the harmony of her life on land (as a big sister and a role model) and at sea, discovering the presence of other life on the islands.

She has found her place among her people, as they rebuild their home, as her father and the chief of Motunui, Tui (Temuera Morrison), honours her with an ancestral title that hasn’t been used in over a thousand years as their Tautai, a Wayfinder leader.

Moana 2 emulates everything audiences loved about the first film

Moana’s harmony is short-lived, as her destiny comes calling during the ceremony to become tautai, when she is struck by lightening and has a vision of her ancestors who deliver her next mission.

She must complete the previous tautai’s unfinished endeavour to reach a lost island. This was cursed by a god, but once restored it can connect all the people of the ocean. Torn between leaving behind the life she’s building for herself and an impossible, dangerous voyage, the main difference this time around is that Moana isn’t alone.

An ambitious voyage requires a crew and Moana assembles a quirky one to provide some comedy amongst the terrors they face with brainy, brilliant and resident problem-solver Loto (Rose Matafeo), a grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane) and Moni (Hualālai Chung) AKA Maui’s biggest fan. 

After the immense success of Inside Out 2, there’s no doubt there was some trepidation about whether Moana 2 could also deliver the impressive feat of landing a highly-anticipated sequel and offering something as unique and celebrated as the original, without replicating the first narrative.

Though the formula is very similar to the first, potentially too simplistic in structure, as Moana journeys further into dangerous, long-lost waters to break Nalo’s curse and save her people once more, it’s evolved in tone. Similar to Riley in Pixar’s hit, Moana is transitioning from a girl with a love of the ocean to a woman with a higher purpose, who has to make sacrifices such as leaving her baby sister Samia behind to explore beyond where she’s ever travelled before.

Though the adult viewer will easily predict what lies ahead for Moana, children might be too immersed in the action – and small cameos of scary creatures – to notice. It has capitalised on what the first film did best with a few twists and new flares added in for good measure. 

Along the way, there are inevitable perils from sea monsters to sea serpents and near-death experiences that all add to the thrill of this adventure for younger audiences especially. There’s also a much-needed Maui and Moana reunion, as the duo reconnect to face a bigger nemesis than before, with the familiar wit and jest that Johnson demonstrated in the first film. Moana also finds an expected alliance with the Kakamora pirates, who have also lost their home island as it was in the same sea as the lost island.

Moana is also guided by Nalo’s guardian of the portal to the missing island, Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) who offers her advice through her song ‘Get Lost’ encouraging the young girl to embrace her curiosity and fearlessness once again, which many of us lose as we age. While Moana’s steadfast support remains her Grandmother Tala (Rachel House) who returns in spirit who reassures her “here we are together, just different.”

One of the strongest emotional elements of Moana is the interconnection between the generations of ancestors, shown through spirit, tradition and the strength Moana finds in embracing her identity and heritage and being “honoured” to serve her community and all those who came before her.

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises for the sequel was the change in songwriters, as it was confirmed that Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda wouldn’t return. Instead, the songs have been penned by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who found fame in the pandemic on TikTok for their Bridgerton-inspired ballads. 

…the soundtrack for the sequel is as bewitching and beautiful as the original and is certain to be played on repeat in families’ homes

Moana’s ballad ‘Beyond’ is the sequel’s answer to ‘How Far I’ll Go’ while ‘Can I get a Chee Hoo?’ serves as Maui’s motivational speech to Moana, a switch on the self-indulgent (but delightful) ‘You’re Welcome.’ As a whole, the soundtrack for the sequel is as bewitching and beautiful as the original and is certain to be played on repeat in families’ homes, cars and children’s dance classes for the foreseeable future.

Arguably, the best addition is Moana’s relationship with her younger sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda). Adorable and stubborn in equal measures, this two-year-old mini-Moana captures the essence of the unyielding obsession that young girls have for this Disney character. It’s an infectiously endearing relationship that leans into the intergenerational love and legacy that is at the heart of Moana 2, as it ebbs beautifully between the generations – past, present and future – of her life who are all bound by the eternal connection of the ocean.

Moana 2 is a delightfully joyful spectacle that will reinvigorate the love children still have for the first film and present this animated world in a whole new light. As Simea is also destined for popularity among audiences, it seems only too likely that another film or spin-off series will be on the horizon… here’s to hoping.

Moana 2 is released in cinemas on Friday 29 November in the UK, and is out now in the US. You can find out when it’s available to stream here.