news

Critics call it a boring and confusing business product

Vaseline November 29, 2024

Earlier this year we wrote that there was a review overview of a new one Despicable me is an almost pointless exercise. The audience will choose it regardless of the quality of the film.

The same can be said of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film. Moana 2. The original 2016 film is one of the most streamed films of all time. There’s an audience that wants more Moana, and in our current IP-driven age of filmmaking, that honestly all matters.

Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, Moana 2 was originally intended as a Disney+ limited series. Sometime last year, it was adapted into a feature film product to capitalize on the original film’s dedicated fanbase. The series was originally produced by Disney Animation’s new Vancouver studio, but after the format shuffle, work was split more evenly between Vancouver and Disney’s Burbank studio. The division of labor between the two studios isn’t entirely clear at this point, but suffice it to say that this film has had an unconventional production history that differs from a traditional Disney animated film.

Whether it’s that complicated production structure or other factors, critics are harsh on the film, with only 66% giving it a satisfactory grade on Rotten Tomatoes. Even more surprising is that even the positive reviews contain caveats and strong reservations about the film’s overall quality. That said, the response is still significantly better than Disney’s last animated film Wishwhich ended up with only 48% among critics, but falls under the bomb Strange worldwhich achieved a 72%. Unlike those two previous films, Moana 2 is on track to be a mega hit for Disney.

For what it’s worth, here’s a look at what critics have said about Critic-Proof Moana 2.

Radheyan Simonpillai from Canada Globe and mail made a common criticism of the film’s uninspired music:

The big disappointment here are the flat musical numbers that wait between the adventures and fail to sink Maui’s hook into us. In the original, Lin Manuel-Miranda and Samaon singer Opetaia Foa’I, together with composer Mark Mancina, provided bouncy and catchy songs. Although Foa’I and Mancina return in the sequel and bring some spice, they don’t get much help from the theater children’s showtunes written by musical duo Barlow & Bear. Their music usually features characters singing their most obvious intentions (“I’ll move on”) while relating to the immediate plot. I’d be surprised if these numbers have any resonance beyond the film’s running time. The songs also don’t emphasize Polynesian culture like the original and this sequel do in richer and more exciting moments.

Alison Willmore from Vulture cited the film’s lack of tension as a major problem:

Seriously, what does a girl have to do to get into some good old fashioned conflict here? This is something of a recent Disney Animation problem. After a long, fraught history of villains who were more exciting, colorful, and invariably more queer-coded than the heroes, the entertainment giant has foregone clear villains in recent years and instead opted for its characters. to confront systemic issues, their own insecurities, or adversaries that are really just misunderstood. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this softer approach to creating tension, but in the case of… Moana 2, directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, the result is just plain boring.

Enter Dana Stevens Slate made another recurring criticism by comparing the sequel unfavorably to the original:

Scene after scene, there’s nothing not to enjoy about this lushly animated ode to discovery, teamwork, and picking, especially if you’re a parent of small children looking for a fun family outing. But for all its verve and brilliance, Moana 2 seems more like a consumer product than the first film in a subtle but unmistakable way. (Given that both were hyper-promoted Disney releases, it might be more accurate to say that the sequel wears its inevitable status as a mass-produced consumer good less lightly than the original.) The little details and strange character quirks that define the first Moana have been sanded or, worse, recycled as nostalgic callbacks.

Asher Luberto van LA weekly felt sick from everything happening on the screen:

The new one Moana is so confusing that you get seasick – or just get sick of the characters. As with most Disney sequels, there are a number of new characters on board to distract you from the fact that you are watching a similar journey. They certainly distract you from our heroine, who is the beating heart of this franchise and yet is surrounded by obnoxious caricatures who only have one quality, be it the grump or the nerd. These aren’t people you want to be stuck on a boat with. But that’s you. Like it or probably not, this movie is yet another example of Disney treading water.

A characteristically positive review is this from Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review, who called it “filmmaking by committee” even as he praised it:

Whatever negatives I have, Moana 2 is handled competently enough. My biggest complaint is that even though it is watchable, it isn’t better. It’s refreshing to see a Disney animated film about a strong woman who isn’t storybook royalty. “Still not a princess,” Moana clarifies. “Well, a lot of people think so,” Maui jokes, referring to the widespread assumption – even though it’s been a few years since Disney told a princess story. Set 2,000 years ago, the sequel continues to expose a largely unsophisticated audience to Polynesian mythology, fleeting as it is. But I offer most of the goodwill Moana 2 stems from my lingering affection for its predecessor, without which the quality of the sequel’s committee filmmaking might overwhelm and neutralize its pleasures. Children will undoubtedly enjoy it more than their accompanying adults, who may feel relieved by a new one Moana which is part of the rotation of animated films that play on an endless loop at home.

Variety’Owen Gleiberman, who also gave the film a thumbs up, summed it up with this backhanded compliment:

Moana 2 is a great film, an above-average children’s roller coaster, and a piece of pure product in a way that the first Moana, at best, transcended. The new film exhausts you to win you over; it’s a delivery system just efficient enough to make the inspiration for following your dreams a big holiday hit.