Disney did it again – bringing us Moana 2 just in time for the holiday season. With a fresh wave of adventure, Moana sails back into the hearts of audiences. Picking up where the creators first left off, Moana continues her journey as a wayfinder but this time she is facing many new challenges that test her leadership and courage, according to Disney.
In the first movie, Moana’s ancestors were telling her to connect the whole ocean with the different people that are out there. In this film, the problem is she had to locate the island where the different people could meet while also fighting an unbreakable curse. Many new characters were introduced as well, including Loto (voiced by Rose Matafeo), Kele (voiced by Rose David Fane), and Moni (voiced by Hualālai Chung), according to Disney.
The film also brought along a new soundtrack. As it turns out, songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda did not write the soundtrack for Moana 2, even though he wrote the songs for the first Moana. There were two new songwriters hired by Disney: Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. They are also the first female songwriting duo and youngest composers who were hired by Disney for a movie, according to Disney. Barlow and Bear made new melodies that are both catchy and emotional. The voice acting remained top-notch, as Auli’i Cravalho returned as the titular character for Moana 2. Dwayne Johnson also returns as the demigod Maui, adding his signature charm and humor to the field.
Moana 2 not only entertained but also imparted lessons about community and problem solving. In school, we do the same as moana by problem solving the work that is given to us, figuring it out.. Community is school and we can always help each other. The film strikes a balance between action-packed scenes and moments of thoughtfulness making it a compelling watch for audiences of all ages. Tying back to the first movie of “Moana”, the first movie came out in 2016, eight years ago. Most of the audience were in the age range of 8-10 years old. With its rich storyline continuing as a Wayfinder, stunning visuals, new challenges, new villains, and a memorable new soundtrack, “Moana 2” is and will be making billions in theaters and becoming a real success. It is a worthy successor to the original, and Disney’s ability to craft timeless animated classics.
