I didn’t walk out of Moana 2 humming new tunes like “What Could Be Better Than This” or “Get Lost,” songs I only remembered actually being in the movie thanks to their inclusion in the end credits. Instead, “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” were lodged in my brain, thanks to multiple clumsy callbacks. Moana 2 is a lesser film than the 2016 original in practically every way, but its inferiority is most striking in its songs, which lack the musicality and charm of the first film’s soundtrack. Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t return to write the music for this outing, and his absence is more keenly felt than if Dwayne Johnson didn’t reprise his role as Maui.
Most of the new tracks are bland compositions that thankfully don’t attempt to ape their predecessors in style, except for “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” This showcase for Maui sounds like it’s going for Miranda’s signature sound, including a bit of rapping from Johnson. Yet it’s somehow even worse than Johnson’s early effort on Wyclef Jean’s “It Doesn’t Matter.”
But does the descent in quality from the soundtrack and the whole movie actually matter? Disney will still make hundreds of millions of dollars (that they wouldn’t have made had they proceeded with the original plan for this to be a Disney+ TV series) while holiday weekend families crowd theaters for more adventures with Moana and Maui. There probably won’t be too many complaints; this isn’t a worthy successor to Moana, which was top-tier Disney, but it’s not grating in the way that the worst animated movies can be. There are some fun scenes, a few giggles, and some impressive animation, but Moana 2 is dead in the water in comparison. It feels like a direct-to-Disney+ release, the 21st-century equivalent of The Return of Jafar and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.
While Moana centered on the journey of its heroine beyond the reef to save her island, Moana 2 simply has Moana (again voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) going … farther. She discovers evidence of other civilizations, and she is eager to find them, so she must break a curse by landing on a mysterious, storm-surrounded island. This time, she embarks on the dangerous journey with a crew in addition to her usual team of porcine pet Tua and idiot chicken Heihei (Alan Tudyk): quirky shipbuilder Loto (Rose Matafeo), sweet storyteller Moni (Hualālai Chung), and grumpy, aging farmer Kele (David Fane). Of course, Maui and his mini moving Maui tattoo show up again too, because Disney doesn’t want to start a pint-sized riot.

In addition to those newcomers, Moana 2 introduces Moana’s younger sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), a dead ringer for young Moana in the first film. I suppose she’s there to deepen Moana’s ties to her island when she’s about to go on a mission she may never return from, but she mostly exists to up the movie’s cuteness factor and appeal to the younger audience as Moana has aged three years since we last saw her. Simea was created to be the human equivalent of the aww emoji, all big eyes and bursting heart, and it feels a little manipulative, but goddamn, she’s adorable.
The screenplay from Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller feels more like strung-together set pieces than a cohesive plot. Moana 2 takes a page from Marvel’s dogeared playbook and has a mid-credits sequence that feels very much like Avengers: Age of Ultron in how it teases the larger franchise. Yet with this approach, Moana 2 doesn’t feel substantial enough to stand on its own. As much as Disney is known for its princesses, it is also known for its villains, and Moana 2 doesn’t develop its antagonists with any depth, leaving the film feeling listless.
“It’s not like the last time,” Moana says at one point in this sequel, and yeah, no shit. Moana 2 attempts to expand on its predecessor, adding more characters and bigger adventures. However, even beyond its subpar songs, it lacks the spirit and strength of the original movie.
C-
“Moana 2” is in theaters today.