Moana 2 was initially planned as a TV series for Disney+. At some point during its development, Disney realized that if they turned this streaming show into a theatrical release, they could make hundreds of millions of dollars — and then put the thing on streaming anyway. Why not get two bites at the same apple? This ain’t Snow White! That thing ain’t poisoned!
Sure enough, Moana 2 when opened in theaters last fall it grossed $1.05 billion worldwide despite middling reviews and so-so reaction from audiences. Now, after recharging Disney’s bank accounts, it’s headed where it was always meant to be in the first place, with the company announcing it will premiere on Disney+ in just a couple of weeks.
Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson reprise their roles as Moana the brave ocean explorer and Maui the wisecracking demigod. This time they’re trying to locate a sunken island which can reunite all of the disparate people of the ocean. In order to do it they’ll need to assemble a new crew for their boat, and challenge a vengeful god along the way.
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Cravalho and Johnson are well-cast in their roles, and Moana 2 boasts the typically colorful and expressive animation we’ve come to expect from Disney. Where the film was a let down, at least to me, was in the song department. Compared to the classics featured in the first Moana, nothing in Moana 2 measured up. (Lin-Manuel Miranda was notably absent from Moana 2’s credits, and he was definitely missed.)
As I wrote in my review…
Moana’s musical numbers were its greatest strength; Moana 2’s musical numbers are its biggest weakness. The first film had the groovy “Shiny,” the toe-tapping “Where You Are,” and the soaring anthem “How Far I’ll Go.” Moana 2 includes tracks meant to fit into each of those categories, but none are catchy or memorable.
I wouldn’t have urged people to rush out to the theater to see Moana 2. But that’s what streaming is for. If you liked the first movie, and you have Disney+, it doesn’t cost anything extra to watch Moana 2 there when it debuts on March 12. And if they make the Moana 3 the sequel’s post-credits scene so strongly hints at, I hope they convince Lin-Manuel Miranda to come back and work on a song or two.
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