The recent release of “Moana 2” has been highly anticipated since it was announced in early 2024.

Disney CEO Bob Iger described the “Moana” franchise as still being “incredibly popular” and that the developers were eager to give the world more of Maui and Moana, played by Dwayne Johnson and Auli’li Cravalho respectively. 

With its release in November 2024, it’s already made a huge impact in the Disney and film industry. “Moana 2” remained at the top of box office numbers since its release, garnering a global tally of $600 million. With this, they even surpassed the release of “Frozen II” in 2019, which had earned $35.2 million at the time. 

In the sequel, Moana is called by her ancestors in a vision to find the lost island of Motufetu and break the curse put onto it by Nalo, the god of storms, in order to reunite the different peoples of the ocean. 

I admit that I was skeptical.

I saw the first movie, “Moana”, when it first released in theaters in 2016, and I remember loving it when I was younger. “Moana” had a unique perspective and a different storyline from other Disney films, and it took a play on the magical elements that Disney is famous for with a twist on it.
One of the even more compelling aspects of the original “Moana” was the soundtrack. “How Far I’ll Go”, sung by Cravalho, was quite possibly on every little kid’s playlist ever, and even the instrumental soundtrack throughout the movie was significant and moving. 

So, when “Moana 2” was announced, I didn’t see the true need for it. There wasn’t anything indicative of a sequel in the first movie, and the first movie wrapped with a good ending, nothing felt out of place.
I went to see the sequel with my younger brother, who absolutely loves any Disney movie. We were both excited, but I ultimately was left a bit underwhelmed.
The movie was enjoyable, but it didn’t compare to the original excitement of the first one. It felt more rushed and, while the suspense and action of a Disney movie were there, it didn’t have the pizazz I wanted.
Alongside that, one of my favorite parts of the original “Moana” was the soundtrack. The soundtrack of a movie often becomes my favorite personality for at least a week after watching it, and I listened to the “Moana” soundtrack on repeat when it came out. 

 It’s been probably a month since I’ve seen “Moana 2” and I haven’t pulled up a single song, and quite frankly, I don’t remember what any songs were. They weren’t as catchy and felt as if they were written purely to have Cravalho, a fantastic singer, sing them and hope that everyone would see it the same as “How Far I’ll Go”.
While “Moana 2” was definitely one of Disney’s better recent sequels, I would love to see them continue to expand on new storylines with new and more exciting characters. 

I applaud their attempts at continuing popular franchises, but one of Disney’s biggest criticisms recently has been their avoidance of creating new films. There are new sequels coming out left and right, and if they aren’t animated sequels to popular movies, they’re introducing live-action versions, such as the recently announced live-action version of “Lilo & Stitch”, releasing in 2025.
Disney has good movies, evident by the success of their films such as “Moana 2”, but they are in dire need of something new to further excite their audience and make their brand more enhanced.