Ship breaking involves dismantling a decommissioned ship so that its parts can be reused and even reused. It’s an annoying thing, but recycling is certainly better than letting something sink to the salty depths. Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) wasn’t originally supposed to leave for the big screen again. Her further adventures were intended to fill the streaming ranks of Disney+ as a series. But the powers that are decided (possibly because the Frozen follow-up earned $1.5 billion) that the show would be turned into a movieand the fearless daughter of her island’s chief – still technical no princess – repositioned as a driving force. The resulting feature debut from directorial team David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller is a rickety Franken ship that’s still seaworthy enough to navigate its way through its theatrical release, but it has more in common with straight-to-video sequels than the clever original.

Three years have passed and Moana no longer has to figure out who she is. She knows she can be both the future leader of her people And an adventurer, and so does her community. Her island is now populated exclusively by Moana fans, who fall over themselves to worship her and the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) with whom she wrote her way into legend. This is usually where Disney heroes dig in their heels and begin happily ever after, but Moana is once again, inelegantly, called away from home.

After the clarity of one of Disney’s best “I Want” songs, the quest Moana embarks on feels forced and fake: After discovering a piece of pottery that marks the location of a mysterious island, Moana is confronted with evidence that her people are not. the only people. This and her new appointment as wayfinder means she is asked to find that island of Motufetu – which the god Nalo has for some reason cursed because it no longer serves as a waypoint for disparate islanders – and all those separated by the waves to reconnect. .

Moana 2 tries to split the difference between a few different motivations for this, gesturing both to Moana’s general curiosity about the larger world and an uncertain fate that will befall her (lush, thriving) island if it remains isolated. These are half-hearted ideas, embedded in the forgettable songs of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, ranging from truly terrible shipwrecks to embarrassing numbers from the Lin-Manuel Miranda tribute band. The loss of Miranda is a devastating blow to the film, though his presence still haunts the dialogue. Every other line is about knowing the way, telling our stories and how far we will go. It’s like how celebrities tend to repeat the same odd statements after humanity has been coached out. It reinforces the feeling that the sequel isn’t confident enough to move forward on its own.

That includes all the new side characters the film introduces but mostly ignores. There’s Moana’s new, too-cute little sister (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), and the ragtag crew that accompanies Moana on her journey: Loto (Rose Matafeo) the manic builder, Kele (David Fane) the crotchety old farmer, and Moni (Hualālai Chung ). ) the fleshy obsessive Maui. Eventually joining them is one of the Kakamora, the Crazy Max coconut gremlins with more personality than most people. They all feel like they’ve just been introduced by the time the credits roll – they’re only just getting ready for the next episode, where they’ll eventually learn to work together as a team.

Even their most important obstacles suffer from a scenario that seems as if it has been shredded into wreckage. For example, Nalo is a lightning god… but we don’t meet or understand him. Why did he curse this island anyway? Where the volcanic island from the first film was a wounded and compelling force, Nalo remains inscrutable: he manifests only as lightning, tornadoes, lightning tornadoes and monstrous electric eels. Secondary antagonist, but not Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), similarly suffers from the script’s apparent chopping: her random actions feel like they’re missing a scene or two of dot connections.

That leaves the dressing around the plot to save things, and Moana 2 sails smoothly through some of the most vividly animated waters put to film. The film benefits greatly from the constant visual propulsion of the ocean; everything – the boats, the people on them, the rigging and oars, the giant monster shell in the distance – always feels like it’s moving. Add to that some wonderfully varied and tactile textures, ranging from splintering wooden masts to tasteless blobfish snot, and the film has an enjoyable atmosphere, whether it’s about a colorful ship crewed by weird little nut pirates or the tempestuous waves of the stormy climax. . It makes sense to want to see this on the big screen.

There’s less point in following this story, haphazard and forlorn, after one of Disney’s better films of the past twenty years. There is almost a poignant message: teamwork on a small scale results in greater solidarity on a large scale. There is almost a charming reversal of the maturing relationship between Maui and Moana. There are recycled versions of the slapstick and songs from the first film. It’s all in danger of coming together if not for an invisible and all-powerful deity throwing a wrench into these plans for reasons beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals. Unfortunately, it is lost at sea.

Director: David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Writer: Jared Bush, Dana Ledoux Miller
Starring: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser, Gerald Ramsey
Release date: November 27, 2024