Moana 2 is making waves as a satisfactory continuation of its prequel. However, many elements of the first movie greatly overshadow the second movie. 

While Moana 2’s soundtrack has many catchy songs, namely “Get Lost” and “Beyond”, the first movie’s soundtrack is exceptional and remains superior. Part of the reason why this may be is because Lin-Manuel Miranda, who composed the movie for the first Moana movie, did not return to work on the second one. Instead, 2022 Grammy winners Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow have taken his place, becoming Disney’s youngest songwriters. While their music may not quite reach the high standards set by Lin-Manuel Miranda in Moana, Bear and Barlow have made a strong and promising start. 

The film also embraces the Polynesian heritage, writing songs not only in English but also in the native Polynesian languages: Samoan and Tokelauan. One notable song is“Mana Vavau”, sung towards the climax of the film as the dynamic song builds suspense. 

Along with that, the snappy song “Get Lost”, sung by Mantagi, a bat goddess who is stuck in a giant clam, is another fan favourite; however, her character only appears once in the film. The name of Matangi, who helps guide Moana in her journey, means wind in Tongan, another nod to the Polynesian heritage the movie reflects. Her hip and relaxed personality was super fun, and we would have loved to see more of her in the film. Another character that we think could have been expanded on was the primary antagonist, Nalo, the god of storms. While his backstory was brought up, his character was never shown in the film. Both antagonists in our opinion could have used a little more screen time.

While Moana 2 is set three years after the ending of the first one, it feels as though no time at all has passed since the events of the first movie. The audience is immediately transported back into the world of Moana, and directors David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller do a fantastic job of building upon the first film throughout the duration of the movie. The plot continuation works well to expand the story and we see returning characters grow, while new ones are introduced. With new additions like Moana’s little sister, Simea, the audience loves how Moana’s character grows as she becomes a big sister. 

Likewise, the character development of the Kakamoras, a fierce tribe of coconut pirates, is also worth mentioning. In the first film, they were portrayed as antagonists, causing trouble for Moana and Maui. However, in Moana 2, they return with a more nuanced role, developing a semi-friendly relationship with Moana and her crew. This evolution adds depth to their characters and the story, transforming them from simple villains into more complex, humanized figures.

In addition, the animation in Moana 2 continues to showcase the phenomenal reputation it established in the first film. The sand, ocean, and Polynesian islands are all beautifully shown throughout the movie. There are many stunning close-ups that focus on details like the sand and waves. The film starts with a breathtaking scene of the ocean, where the playful water animation is impressive and makes the ocean feel truly alive.

Overall, prequels have a history of being too good for their sequels to top. In this case, Moana 2 has lots of potential and adds depth to the wondrous world created in the first film, but doesn’t inherently surpass its blockbuster prequel. However, this movie leaves lots of hooks to build upon in possible future films, and is not at all a shameful addition to the world of Moana.