The theatrical movie poster for Moana 2. Photo creds: Disney Movies
Rosalyn Rabinowitz, staff writer for The Powderhorn
Make way! Moana, a brave wayfinder from the island of Motunui, has returned. Viewers follow Moana as she finds out who she is and her place in the world. In this sequel, she is in desperate need of discovering other people like her and embarking on new adventures. Through the guidance of her ancestors and family, Moana begins a trek to reunite people from all over the ocean. Following Tautai Vasa’s footsteps, Moana teams up with an unlikely crew of villagers, whose quirks create an interesting and wild ride.
In “Moana 2” viewers are invited into an exciting experience filled with twists, turns, secrets, and stories revealed. Moana is chosen to break the curse of the god Talo, hidden in the island of Motufetu. His curse is infamous for its stories of death and fear that wayfinders have tried to overcome but failed. With a god's curse needing intensive work, Maui and Moana reunite to break this curse, bringing back the iconic duo from the first movie.
“Moana 2” has the thrill, color, and diversity the first one does, but it has a different feel. Moana is more confident in who she is, growing into her name of Wayfinder. Moana has matured with the young girls who watched the first Moana, eight years ago in awe. We see this development of Moana's character through her crew, while frustrating at first, they teach Moana lessons of loyalty and kindness. Viewers see this crew begin to work as a team, form connections, and care for each other. Moana finds who she is, becoming a demigod, connecting the ocean, and leading her village.
The original Moana immersed viewers, capturing their interest and hearts, creating extremely high expectations for the sequel. Unfortunately, “Moana 2” did not meet these expectations with its lack of catchy songs and good storytelling, which were prominent parts of the first movie. With a rotten tomato score of 61%, viewers found themselves getting lost in the story and struggling to enjoy it as much as the first.
While “Moana 2” might not have been as intriguing as the first, the magic of Moana remains. Moana continues to inspire young people worldwide to be fierce, loving, and resilient.
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