‘Moana 2’ Review Roundup: Critics Label It A Boring And Confusing Corporate Product
Earlier this year, we wrote that a review roundup of a new Despicable Me is an almost pointless exercise. Audiences will turn out for it, regardless of the film’s quality.
The same could be said of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 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 moviemaking, that’s frankly that all matters.
Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, Moana 2 was originally conceived as a Disney+ limited series. Sometime last year, it was retooled as a feature-length product to take advantage of the original film’s dedicated fanbase. The series was originally being produced by Disney Animation’s new-ish Vancouver studio, but after the format shuffle, the work was split more evenly between Vancouver and Disney’s Burbank studio. The division of labor between the two studios is not entirely clear at this point, but suffice to say, this film has had an unconventional production history that differs from a traditional Disney animated film.
Whether it’s that convoluted production structure or other factors, critics have been harsh on the film, with only 66% giving it a satisfactory grade on Rotten Tomatoes. More suprisingly, even the positive reviews come with caveats and strong reservations about the film’s overall quality. Having said that, the reaction is still significantly better than Disney’s last animated feature Wish, which landed at just 48% with critics, but comes in below the bomb Strange World, which managed a 72%. Unlike those two previous films however, Moana 2 is on its way to becoming a megahit for Disney.
For what it’s worth, here’s a look at what critics have been saying about the critic-proof Moana 2.
Radheyan Simonpillai of Canada’s Globe and Mail made a very common criticism about the film’s uninspired music:
The big, disappointment here are the flat musical numbers that bide time between adventures and fail to sink Maui’s hook in us. The original had Lin Manuel-Miranda and Samaon singer Opetaia Foa’I cooking up bouncy and infectious numbers alongside composer Mark Mancina. Though Foa’I and Mancina return in the sequel, bringing some oomph, they’re not getting much help from the theatre kid showtunes written by musical duo Barlow & Bear. Their music tends to feature characters singing their most obvious intentions (“I will go beyond”) as they relate to the immediate plot. I’d be surprised if these numbers find any resonance beyond the film’s run time. The songs also don’t emphasize Polynesian culture in the way the original and this sequel do in richer and more exhilarating moments.
Alison Willmore of Vulture cited the film’s lack of tension as a significant issue:
Seriously, what’s a girl got to do to get some good old-fashioned conflict around here? This is something of a recent Disney Animation issue. After a long, fraught history of villains that were more exciting, more colorful, and invariably more queer-coded than the heroes, the entertainment giant has in recent years banked away from having clear-cut bad guys at all, opting instead for its characters to face down systemic problems, their own insecurities, or adversaries who are really just misunderstood. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this squishier approach to creating tension, but in the case of Moana 2, which was directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the result is just boring.
Dana Stevens in Slate made another recurring criticism by comparing the sequel unfavorably to the original:
Scene by scene, there’s nothing not to enjoy about this lushly animated ode to exploration, teamwork, and pluck, especially if you’re a parent of small kids on the hunt for a fun family outing. But for all its verve and polish, Moana 2 seems more like a consumer product, in some subtle but unmistakable way, than the first film did. (Given that both were hyper-promoted Disney releases, it’s perhaps more accurate to say that the sequel wears its inevitable status as a mass-produced consumer good less lightly than the original.) The small touches and odd character quirks that distinguished the first Moana have been sanded down or, worse, recycled as nostalgic callbacks.
Asher Luberto of LA Weekly felt sickened by everything happening onscreen:
The new Moana is so confusing it makes you seasick — or just sick of the characters. Like most Disney sequels, a bunch of new characters are on board to distract you from the fact you are watching a similar voyage. They certainly distract you from our heroine, who is the beating heart of this franchise yet is surrounded by obnoxious caricatures who only have one trait, whether that be the grump or the nerd. They aren’t people you want to be stuck on a boat with. But you are. Like it or probably not, this film is another example of Disney treading water.
A characteristic positive review is this one by Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review, who called it filmmaking by committee even while praising it:
Whatever quibbles I have, Moana 2 is handled competently enough. My biggest complaint is that it isn’t better, even though it’s thoroughly watchable. Seeing a Disney animated feature about a strong woman who isn’t storybook royalty is refreshing. “Still not a princess,” Moana clarifies. “Well, a lot of people think you are,” jokes Maui, 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 also continues to expose a largely unversed audience to Polynesian mythology, cursory as it is. But most of the goodwill I offer Moana 2 stems from my held-over affection for its predecessor, without which, the filmmaking-by-committee quality of the sequel might overwhelm and neutralize its pleasures. Children will no doubt enjoy it more than their accompanying adults, who might feel relieved by a new Moana that enters the rotation of animated movies played on an endless loop at home.
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, who also gave the film a thumbs-up, summarized it with this backhanded compliment:
Moana 2 is an okay movie, an above-average kiddie roller-coaster, and a piece of pure product in a way that the first Moana, at its best, transcended. The new movie wears you down to win you over; it’s a just efficient enough delivery system for follow-your-dreams inspiration to be a major holiday hit.
