Moana 2
Given how beloved the original Moana is, it’s astounding just how little impression its sequel makes. Moana 2 makes multiple callbacks to the original film with referential dialogue, lyrics, and musical themes, meaning it feels like the sequel which is so desperate to recapture the magic of the original that it’s afraid to say or do anything of its own. There are endearing new characters, joining Moana’s seafaring adventures, and her new frenemy Matangi makes the most of her criminally short screen time. But Moana 2’s Disney+ streaming service origins reveal themselves in what feels like a disjointed, awkward pacing with long stretches of meandering. The film sets up a sequel at the end, because that’s what Disney is doing lately, so hopefully a Moana 3 feels more intentional than this middling sophomore slump.
