Moana 2 (2024) Review: A Thrilling, Higher-Stakes Sequel with Gorgeous Animation, Great Music and Colourful Characters

It has been eight years (!) since Moana debuted, made a boatload of money and earned two Oscar nominations including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, even though the movie lost to Zootopia and La La Land respectively. Nevertheless, the 2016 animated feature deserved its place as one of the best Disney movies of the modern generation. Then came the plan for a follow-up, which was originally envisioned as a Disney+ TV series titled Moana: The Series back in 2020. The series was subsequently retooled as a feature-length sequel after Disney made a surprise announcement earlier this year in February that Moana 2 will be sailing into cinemas in November.

But what seems like a rushed production meeting the deadline thankfully doesn’t look like one after finally watching the sequel. The story takes place three years after the events of the first movie with Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) taking responsibility as the new chief of her island home of Motunui. Then comes her new destiny: a call from her wayfinding ancestor Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), prompting Moana to set sail on a long voyage with the fire in the sky as her guideline to locate the hidden island of Motufetu.

So, she needs a bigger canoe this time and a crew to join her on an all-important journey. This includes her pet animals — rooster Heihei (Alan Tudyk) and pig Pua — along with the fix-it-all Loto (Rose Matafeo), storytelling artist Moni (Hualālai Chung), who is also a big fan of Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and the elderly grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane) in charge of their sustenance.

Moana 2 takes time to find its footing during the first act, even though it does contain a snappy opening anthem “We’re Back”, which immediately eases my worries about the absence of Lin-Manuel Miranda from the first movie. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the composers behind the Grammy Award-winning album The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, are responsible for the sequel’s music alongside returning Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i.

The good news is that Barlow and Bear’s involvement in the music department did justice to the overall melodic new song selections, covering the rousing ballad “Beyond” to the catchy “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” and the foot-tapping “Get Lost”. The songs may lack the defining beat of the first movie’s Oscar-nominated “How Far I’ll Go” but the sequel still stands on its own.

Then, there’s the introduction of Moana’s cute-as-a-button little sister Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), who steals the show each time she appears on the screen. The movie manages to pick up the pace once Moana’s wayfinding voyage begins. The eclectic crew certainly adds colour to the sequel with Alan Tudyk’s clumsy but always lucky rooster Heihei remains the franchise’s worthy comic relief while credits equally go to Rose Matafeo, Hualālai Chung and David Fane’s voice performances.

As the journey goes on, Moana eventually reunites with Maui as Dwayne Johnson’s snarky but heroic character once again pairs well with Cravalho’s feisty titular role. Their chemistry is part of what made the first movie work and the same can be said for the sequel. The one thing that elevates this sequel the most is we get higher stakes with the thrilling vibes of an epic action-adventure (the climactic third act against the formidable storm god Nalo comes to mind).

Watching Moana 2 on IMAX immerses me in its vibrant, yet breathtaking animation and dynamic camerawork. I was initially sceptical about the trio of first-time directors David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller replacing veterans John Musker and Ron Clements. But I’m glad the three did a great job in Moana 2 with their energetic directions and I also enjoyed the return of the coconut-armoured pirate Kakamora from the first movie, complete with the introduction of Kotu joining Moana’s crew, an expert marksman in blowdarts. The emotional weight isn’t as strong as the first movie but the adventure-filled story is enough to keep me hooked throughout the sequel. Do remember to stick around for the mid-credits scene.