‘Moana 2’: A strongly made sequel

By Caitlyn Sutton

I was relieved to be in a dimly lit movie theater watching Disney’s “Moana 2” for the first time because of the emotions I felt and tears I shed. Contrary to the opinion of many, I believe this sequel had me more enthralled and on the edge of my seat than the original.

“Moana 2” came out for digital release on Jan. 28. I have watched the film twice since then, equally in love with it each time despite having experienced the film before.

The film, with a run time of 1:40:00, was nominated for the best animated motion picture award at the 82nd annual Golden Globes. It was also 2024’s third-highest grossing film at the box office.

This film begins with the titular character, Moana, receiving a sign to adventure in the form of a small terracotta pot. The artifact depicts an image of the island of Motufetū. A group of people at the base are proof there are people elsewhere, she just has to find them. Moana then proceeds to have a premonition of sorts that tells her she has to go find the people of Motufetū as well as the other islands in the vast ocean. 

As Moana begins her journey, we meet new characters not introduced in the original film. I think the debut of new characters and the character development of more people than just Moana and Maui was great for the sequel.

In “Moana 2,” we meet an unlikely grouping that works very well together. Moni, my favorite character in this movie, is a storyteller on the group’s home island of Motunui. Loto is an architect who helped build the boat they are wayfinding with. Kele is an elderly farmer who does not like the ocean.

The cheerful Moni, filled with passion for storytelling, creates an interesting dynamic when paired with the grumpy Kele who does not want to go on the wayfinding expedition. He only goes because he is enlisted by Moana. Who can say no to Moana?

Throughout the film, Moni speaks of Maui in an almost eerily positive light, which led many fans to believe there was some sort of romantic attraction that Moni had for Maui. Whether that is true or not, I do not know. But what I can say is based on what I saw, it is possible — and able to be executed if Disney pursues it. Also, simply incorporating a canonically LGBTQIA+ character in a Disney princess movie would be a huge plus!

“Moana 2” had a soundtrack which I absolutely adored. “We’re Back” was a wonderful and upbeat song to start off the movie on a positive note. I loved Maui’s song, titled “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?” which I thought I was going to hate the first time I saw the film. I was very skeptical of how good his song was at the beginning, but it grew on me! I think the biggest part that made this song enjoyable was the upbeat tempo and the animation.

“We Know The Way” is such an emotion-provoking song. It has a specific feeling to it which makes me just want to cry. It feels inspiring and full of love. I honestly found a sense of love and inspiration to be a common denominator within many of the songs in this movie.

I love when movies incorporate the feeling of tension into the music within scenes. “Moana 2” was a full sensory experience that was more than what I expected. I also love moments where you are shocked, confused and a bit scared. During the climax of the film when Maui was trying to pick up the island, lightning struck. This was anxiety-inducing because any time movies have a big plot point and the scene gets greeted with silence makes it feel extremely cinematic and dramatic.

I also adored how Moana and the crew throughout the movie went from being partial strangers from the same island to a small family because they had been through so much together.

A scene that moved me deeply and caused me to fall in love with the film even more was when Maui found Moana injured and began holding her, crying and singing to her. I was particularly moved by this scene because it showed that even a strong demigod like Maui has human connection and love for other people.

While Maui was singing to Moana in this scene, a bunch of what I would assume to be past wayfinders appear and begin singing to Moana. I shed a lot of tears watching this part because there was just so much emotion tied to this heart breaking scene. Watching Moana’s wayfinding ancestors revive her as a demigod made me lose it. I was so moved by the entire section of the movie.

Watching people from all different islands gain the ability to communicate with and access Motunui made me smile and my heart feel warm.

As I sit and think about the original “Moana” and its sequel, I can see the beauty in both. Though, through consideration, I find that “Moana 2” does a better job of tugging at heartstrings, encapsulating raw emotions, and developing characters.

“Moana 2” was a beautiful depiction of a not-so-typical Disney princess. Confident and brave. This film has a good score in my heart. I think I will hold this movie dear to me for years to come.

Caitlyn Sutton is a freshman journalism major