With “Moana 2” hitting theaters on Nov. 27, Disney’s signature wayfinding female heroine is back with another adventure.
In the sequel movie, Moana of Motunui travels to challenge sky god Nolu to remove the curse he’d cast on the lost island Motu Fetu so the connection between the people of the sea can be restored.
Released three weeks ago, the movie has already cracked into the top five highest-grossing releases of the year with $600 million, surpassing “Frozen II” to set a record for the highest-grossing movie over the weekend following Thanksgiving according to an article from the Associated Press .
Walking into the theater on a chilly Sunday night with an overpriced bag of warm, butter-slathered popcorn, I didn’t know what to expect; the last time I’d seen Moana on-screen was in 2016 as a quirky sixth-grader with br aces and sloppy nail-polish.
Immediately, the upbeat Polynesian music paired with animations of island green cliffs and fluorescent blue waves revived my memory. Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, appeared exactly the same as I remember – soft, energetic and filled with ambition.
While the movie featured familiar core characters, new appearances made the screen as part of Moana’s wayfinding crew. Among these characters were Loto, a quirky and hyperactive engineer, Keke, a low-spirited grumpy old farmer, and Moni, a young scribe and scholar.
Moana’s three-year old sister, Simea, was also introduced in the movie, highlighting the dynamic between a younger and older sister in a heartwarming way.
The new characters make Moana’s journey more interesting, as they each hold their own dynamic personality, incorporating lots of jokes, mishaps and interesting remarks throughout the movie.
Notably, Loto’s energy comes into play as she rips through the bars of “What Could Be Better Than This,” barely taking a breath as rhymes and rhythms mix. Meanwhile, Keke fights to control his dozens of plants under the hatch in a questionably small living space. It’s within these simple additions and details where I find the sequel to be so interesting, funny and entertaining.
Halfway through the journey across the ocean, Moana and her crew encounter the Kakamora, a savage tribe of coconuts who cannot communicate except through movement and gesture. In the previous film, the Kakamora were seen as the villains, yet in “Moana 2,” more is unveiled about the Kakamora, suggesting that they are not as villainous as they may seem.
Despite barricading the boat upon entry, the Kakamora reveal they became pirates after being separated from their home island after Nalus’ curse. I could write an entire article just about the Kakamora, so to keep it short, these little villains had quite the redemption in the second movie.
While the movie featured catchy tunes, it lacked that signature song like “How Far I’ll Go” or “You’re Welcome.” The sequel movie was definitely below par in terms of music as compared to the first, however, the humor was on point.
Going into the movie, I did not anticipate that there would be so much I’d find myself laughing about. One instance in particular which had me and my friends cracking up was Maui’s interaction with Keke.
After being tied up in what appears to be shark teeth and rope under supernatural storm demigod Matangi’s power, Keke explains to Maui that he looks like a Kidney stone. Maui’s response: “And you look like someone who would know what that is.”
The movie also references ‘fan fiction,’ a humor I assume is geared more to the Gen-Z age group as it requires a bit of predisposed context. It could just be that I laugh at anything and everything, but from my experience, the movie was packed with many jokes.
Although “Moana 2” was mostly a light, funny kids movie, it had its sappy moments too, which left my friends with tears in their popcorn.
While I didn’t shed any tears, the sequel movie definitely hit me in the soft spot of my heart. Growing up in the 2010s, Disney women always had to be saved by a man. In my grade school years, there was never a brave female figure for young girls to look up to which gave off the impression that women were vulnerable and not strong enough to stand their ground.
Moana sails through that stereotype, shifting the gear and paving a better future for young girls by allowing them to understand that women can be strong, women can fight and women can lead. While I feel that overall the first movie is still slightly better, this sequel was a success, sending out powerful messages by highlighting values of family, connection, bravery and perseverance.