Moana 2: They Lost The Way
Moana 2 is a fitting culmination of Jennifer Lee's tenure at WDAS and her streak of mostly mediocre movies.
From its commencement, the voyage to “Moana 2,” the feature film, has been a stormy one. Originally conceived as a Disney+ series under edict from then-CEO Bob Chapek during the height of the pandemic panic in the face of what could have been the death of the movie business as it had been thought of for nearly 100 years, then refashioned into a feature film at the request of returning CEO Bob Iger, who was in search of a surefire box office smash to turn around the company’s then-sluggish box office returns, “Moana 2” will almost without a doubt represent a return to the traditional Thanksgiving blockbuster bonanza in terms of returns, but I have my doubts that viewers will walk away thinking that the creative geniuses at Walt Disney Animation Studios ‘knew the way’ to create a sequel to one of Disney’s most enduring modern animated hits.
Viewers young and old rave about the original “Moana” for one primary reason: the music. Composed primarily by Broadway legend Lin-Manuel Miranda, the original film’s music is truly unforgettable, and it’s clear the Barlow and Bear, the TikTok musical duo chosen by Disney to serve as the sequel’s musical wayfinders, are well aware of that, making copious musical callbacks to Miranda’s iconic lyrics and even lifting an entire song of his to serve as the movie’s finale number, and to be honest, they should have done more of that, because what they wrote themselves varies from aggressively mediocre to downright awful.
Of what they wrote, “Beyond,” Moana’s I Want song, to borrow a phrase coined by Disney and musical legend Howard Ashman, is the musical highpoint. It’s clear here that Barlow and Bear are attempting to channel “How Far I’ll Go” from the first movie but fall short. It’s not bad, per se, it’s just not good enough to be the signature song of a Disney animated musical. The lowest musical point, to me, is Maui’s big number “Can I Get a Chee Hoo,” and it’s not because of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s innate musical ability (anyone who watched the original film will know that The Rock is actually a competent musician). It’s solely because of the lyrics. Barlow and Bear are trying to match Miranda’s rapping ability, and they just shouldn’t have even tried. The lyrical ‘heights’ of their ‘rap’ include “come on-a, Moana, go get your destiny” and “you think that it’s doomsday? To me, it’s just Tuesday.”
As disappointed as I was in the music, I thought the plot was far more substantial and well connected than the first movie, which to me felt like a series of somewhat disconnected vignettes strung together by amazing music. This movie actually has a plot; however, that plot clearly suffers from being condensed into a 1 hour and 40-minute movie versus a much longer series. Viewers will be able to tell that this movie is actually a condensed series, especially as the movie reaches its climax, which feels rushed and clearly is designed to have more emotional payoff with the three new main characters that unfortunately doesn’t actually pay off because they didn’t get enough screen time to cause the audience to develop any connection with them or even really care about them or their journey in the slightest. Unfortunately, these moments were integral to the action, so they couldn’t be cut out entirely.
Ultimately, none of this matters. The nitpicky opinion of a Disney nerd and animation aficionado who expects more from Disney Animation, the greatest animation studio with the most storied history and robust talent base of any in the industry, won’t concern the Moana-obsessed girls and boys who will pile into theaters with their parents this weekend and beyond. I’m sure the parents who accompany them will be glad the movie is watchable and not an unbearable Illumination or DreamWorks flick, and I’m sure the movie will make $120 million or more domestically this weekend with hundreds of millions additionally in the weeks to follow, but it could have done even better than it inevitably will. It could have been the talk of the nation for the next four months, it could have been so good that tens of thousands of non-Disney adults would pour theaters into next year to see it and then stream it on Disney+ again and again. But maybe it’s enough for Disney leadership that their kids will do it for them.
Score: 5/10