Most of the new tracks are bland compositions that thankfully don\u2019t attempt to ape their predecessors in style, except for \u201cCan I Get a Chee Hoo?\u201d This showcase for Maui sounds like it’s going for Miranda\u2019s signature sound, including a bit of rapping from Johnson. Yet it\u2019s somehow even worse than Johnson\u2019s early effort on Wyclef Jean\u2019s \u201cIt Doesn\u2019t Matter<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019t have made had they proceeded with the original plan for this to be a Disney+ TV series<\/a>) while holiday weekend families crowd theaters for more adventures with Moana and Maui. There probably won\u2019t be too many complaints; this isn\u2019t a worthy successor to Moana<\/em>, which was top-tier Disney, but it\u2019s 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 <\/em>is dead in the water in comparison. It feels like a direct-to-Disney+ release, the 21st-century equivalent of The Return of Jafar<\/em><\/a> and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Moana<\/em> centered on the journey of its heroine beyond the reef to save her island, Moana 2<\/em> simply has Moana (again voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) going \u2026 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 (Hual\u0101lai Chung), and grumpy, aging farmer Kele (David Fane). Of course, Maui and his mini moving Maui tattoo show up again too, because Disney doesn\u2019t want to start a pint-sized riot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to those newcomers, Moana 2<\/em> introduces Moana\u2019s younger sister, Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), a dead ringer for young Moana in the first film. I suppose she\u2019s there to deepen Moana\u2019s ties to her island when she\u2019s about to go on a mission she may never return from, but she mostly exists to up the movie\u2019s 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\u2019s adorable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The screenplay from Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller feels more like strung-together set pieces than a cohesive plot. Moana 2<\/em> takes a page from Marvel\u2019s dogeared playbook and has a mid-credits sequence that feels very much like Avengers: Age of Ultron<\/em> in how it teases the larger franchise. Yet with this approach, Moana 2<\/em> doesn\u2019t 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<\/em> doesn\u2019t develop its antagonists with any depth, leaving the film feeling listless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like the last time,\u201d Moana says at one point in this sequel, and yeah, no shit. Moana 2<\/em> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Moana 2” is in theaters today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/moana2-2-1024x577.jpg\")
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