Moana 2 is a kids animation filled with adventure, comedy, and singing. Opening weekend the film earned $139,787,385 in sales and in total $800 million worldwide.
This sequel has famous actors, Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho to voice the two main characters, Maui and Moana.
This PG rated movie is a sequel from the original Moana film from 2016. In the first movie, the daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) gets chosen by the ocean. With this, she gets the intense task to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.
When a blight strikes her home island, young Moana sets sail in search of the legendary demigod, Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson). Through the whole film, Moana hopes of returning the relic to Te Fiti in order to save her people. Following this well known film, Moana 2 dropped in November 2024.
In this recent movie, Moana reunites with Maui three years later for a new voyage. Joining them are new seafarers that are determined to find the lost island of Motu Fetu and break the curse that will reconnect the people of the ocean.
Moana 2 was released in theaters on November 21, 2024, with a running time of one hour and 40 minutes. Directors Dana Ledoux Miller who produced the film “Pirates of the Caribbean”, Jason Hand who worked on “Zootopia” and “The Princess and the Frog”, and David Derrick Jr. who helped with “Rise of the Guardians.”
The plot was all over the place, similarly with the music, but it was a fun and lighthearted film. The film began with young Moana enjoying her simple life, but it quickly evolved to her being tasked to explore the ocean with friends by her side.
Thanks to the lead voice actors – Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson – viewers feel the true emotions of Moana and Maui. Their expressions used throughout the whole movie create an understanding of how strong willed and determined both characters are and how pure their relationship is.
One thing to consider is the popularity of the music from the original being very high, while Moana 2 doesn’t have as many sensational hits. In addition, the story line wasn’t as clear as the first film, but it does add more to the story line.
Whether you’ve been on the fence about seeing this sequel or not, I definitely recommend seeing it. If you know kids or even adults that love a light hearted movie, you can view the trailer here or buy your tickets now from Fandango.