Moana 2 Review: An Incredible Film and Absolutely Up to The First Chapter!
Moana 2 Review: An Incredible Film and Absolutely Up to The First Chapter! - Filmyhype
Director: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Date Created: 2024-11-27 17:36
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8 years after the first, overwhelming chapter, Vaiana returns to Moana 2 for an adventure that is in open continuity with its predecessor. The new Disney Classic, directed by Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand, and David Derrick Jr is an excellent sequel that takes us back to reassuring atmospheres and much-loved characters, but not without giving up some interesting news on the narrative universe composed by Maui and companions. Disembarked at the cinema at the end of 2016, it was among the titles of the House of Mickey Mouse of greatest success with the public and post-Frozen critics, the latter being a real artistic and financial watershed for the Hollywood major who until then was in decisive crisis of ideas. Embellished with a respectable musical carpet composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and inspired by Polynesian songs and sounds, Moana was a more than discreet success, which in the following years led to several acolytes and aficionados.
Moana 2 seems to want to fully repeat the trail of this new renaissance, aimed at breaking the “curse of sequels” by repeating an operation in all respects similar to the various Frozen, Ralph Spaccatutto, and so on: that of creating real internal franchises at Walt Disney Animation Studios based on the very solid bases of protagonists and protagonists who in the last decade have involved the public more. We could be here talking for hours about the editorial line of the House of Mickey Mouse, which to date composed more of sequels than new proposals, but in the meantime, it is appropriate to look at the facts: they are stories, universes, and characters that work and have something to tell. And Vaiana, even on this tour, is no different. We return, therefore, to the characters we have learned to know and love with the first Moana. We return from Vaiana, Maui, and to that village from which the great previous adventure had planted the seeds of a story that has become both fairy tale and legend.
Moana 2 Review: The Story Plot
Three years after the events of the first film, Vaiana receives an unexpected call from her sailing ancestors and forms a new crew to sail to unexplored waters, meeting with her longtime friend, the irresistible Maui demigod (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). While Vaiana and all her crew travel to the distant seas of Moana to break the curse that the god Nalo has thrown on the legendary hidden island of Motufetu that once connected all the tribes of the ocean, they will face old and new enemies, including the Kakamora and the ambiguous goddess of the underworld Matangi. A new, incredible Disney adventure has arrived in our rooms since Wednesday 27 November. Change of direction for what in 2016 was a project entrusted in the good hands of the tandem direction of John Musker and Ron Clements, helped by Don Hall and Chris Williams. Now, the two directors of Disney masterpieces such as Aladdin and The Little Mermaid give way to a team behind the debutante camera directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, on original script edited by Jared Bush (the same screenwriter behind the success of the first chapter) and Dana Ledoux Miller.
Who does a job that is certainly competent and adequate, but which shows all the cracks in a sequel that has no roots in the world of the great hall. Therefore, no longer a journey in search of one’s identity, but a sort of new path connected with the personal statement of what has been done previously. There is an island, somewhere, cursed by a God who does not want to bring together the populations of humans scattered all over the ocean. This island is difficult to reach and free, but Vaiana feels she can take on such a task, completing a path in which many have lost themselves forever. In the function of this, he builds a small crew and decides to leave for the immense and indefinite blue of an adventure wrapped in mystery and danger.
Moana 2 starts from a similar assumption, returning to the initial premise of the first chapter: why did the Vaiana tribe stop sailing? And where are the other people? Is it possible that there is no one else in the vast ocean? Here it is Moana 2, which becomes a natural continuation of the story that 8 years ago led the young leader of Motunui to travel to restore your heart to Te Fiti. But there are still many truths to reveal: and for the picture to be complete, Vaiana must once again embark and go towards the horizon, this time to follow in the same footsteps as her ancestors. We are faced with a sequel that, in essence, repeats the Frozen 2 formula: to continue the epic of the protagonist returning to its origins to reveal the mysteries about its past and its heritage. Luckily Moana 2 manages to decline this theme differently, adapting to the narrative and psychological path of the young Vaiana as leader and reference point of her tribe: the heroine is no longer the inexperienced and brazen adventurer of the origins, but is the person in which all the inhabitants of Motunui place their hopes for a better life.
In self-Moana in 2016 he told a self-discovery and training process, Moana 2 shifts the focus to the figure of Vaiana as a leader and consequently explores his bond with others. The protagonist is no longer alone on this journey: she has companions who decide to sail with her (Maui’s role is different from what you can think of, and I will not reveal it), consequently, the film drags us toward its epilogue with a story with a much more choral flavor. This time, the point is not to reach the horizon, but to cross it, going beyond its limits to achieve its goal at all costs. Moana 2 therefore stands as a completion of the first film, and it is in all respects a second part of Vaiana’s introspective path, which is the bearer of the prototype of a modern Disney princess: enterprising, courageous, charismatic, but in its way still fragile and imperfect.
Moana 2 Review and Analysis
For those who don’t know, the development of Moana 2 had already started in 2020. The initial idea was to continue the history of Vaiana through a TV series that would expand its narrative possibilities and expand the world and adventures. Only later did the idea of making it a feature film become official, with all the necessary work. Interestingly how, in some parts of Moana 2, one can almost perceive the initial serial soul, especially in times when the story slows down or accelerates, giving space related to the events on the screen. As anticipated, with Moana 2 the theme of travel and indissoluble ties with one’s family are central again, even if everything passes through a protagonist different from that of the first film. Its growth is evident, as is the conflict between embracing one’s destiny (understood as something great and at the same time uncertain) and maintaining ties with the people he loves, without ever renouncing it. The Vaiana of Moana 2, however, knows its potential very well, and it is from this that it begins to reflect, questioning the results obtained in the previous story, to grow further.
There is still a lot to explore and discover in the world of Moana, this is clearer than ever, as is the potential for expansion starting from such an observation. The fascination towards this sequel returns, as happened also with the first film, thanks to general care not only from a technical point of view but also from a cultural one. The investigations carried out in the creative phase return to a context that is certainly convincing and very far from that of us Westerners, confirming a certain specific identity for a film that seems to know its voice clearly and again, embracing its characteristics to the end. Nothing to say about the work done in the field of animation, always attentive, studied, and functional to an immersion that starts first of all from the images and the amazement that derives from it in some specific moments. This certainly remains the greatest value of Moana 2, an adventure that develops thanks to the fast direction, the light ideas, the most emotional moments, and some shots that capture without leaving a way out.
The biggest limit of this sequel, however, is connected to the fact that tries too hard to reiterate what was done with the first film, following a few moments in a quotationist process that is partly cloying and partly forced. At the same time, we find a general fluctuating rhythm and some repetitions, in terms of writing, which do not help the overall narrative system. If one of the most central ideological moments of the film connects “to choosing who we are and who we would like to be” and to the strength to achieve in this sense, Moana 2 it seems he is still trying to make himself a film, proposing some interesting ideas to fans, but with as many moments that don’t work 100%. The choice of the main antagonist, smoky and indefinite, as well as everything that revolves around it, leads to the opening of the story that leaves a minimum of bitterness in the mouth, hand in hand with an ending that has yet to find its full potential.
All this leads to a fun and epic journey, equally divided between lighter moments and spectacular sequences. In this epic, just like in the first chapter, the protagonist encounters many different characters in style and characterization: here, if I had to point the finger at a defect, it would be said that not all supporting actors are modeled in a completely satisfactory way. Most of Vaiana’s companions appear a little stereotyped and, at times, not very thorough. They are positioned on the narrative chessboard according to the heroine and her path as a leader, but I would have liked greater introspection for some of them. On the other hand, in a journey that has as its main focus the link between the protagonist and her friends, something more has to be done than the various specks that are at her side, although their team spirit manages to emerge timidly during the act final. The real and most important news is that Moana 2 presents a real villain, a physical and tangible enemy who opposes Vaiana for his selfish purposes.
Unfortunately, the latter remains in the background for a large part of the film, but its introduction has the merit not only of expanding the mythology of the franchise but also of mentioning possible future ideas for other adventures among the Polynesian oceans. I stop here so as not to run into further spoilers, especially because Moana 2 is anything but a transition film: it has a perfectly self-conclusive story in itself, although my advice for you is to remain seated until the end of the credits. The sequel signed by Miller, Hand, and Derrick Jr also confirms the visual wonders of his predecessor: Moana 2 has an important cinematic breath, and not just from a technical point of view (in this regard read as Moana 2 wants to raise the Disney bar, we interviewed an animator of the film!). This sequel is ambitious also from a directorial point of view, with its very wide tracking shots on breathtaking panoramas, enriched by the bright colors of a boundless ocean and the wild nature of unknown destinations towards which the protagonist pushes.
The film proves bold, especially in some dreamlike sequences, which combine excellent visual intuitions with the charm of Polynesian mythological culture. Also in its action part, in response to the good insights of the first chapter, Moana 2 defends herself very well: both in its most slapstick phases, with threats represented by immense sea monsters, and in pure combat, which involves not only the mighty Maui with the bad guy on duty but this time he even sees Vaiana much more central and “physical”. All this is assisted by a sector of animations of the highest level: of course, with the Disney Classics we are far from the most recent experiments in the animated field (read the review of that generational masterpiece of Arcane 2), but the visual fulcrum of the productions of the Mickey Mouse House is not to innovate, but to consolidate. In this sense, there is no doubt that Moana 2 is one of the best Disney films of the new millennium as regards the care in animations, from the movements of the characters to the fluidity of many micro-details, such as hair.
Moana 2 Review: The Last Words
Moana 2 is ultimately an excellent sequel, which continues in the wake traced by other Disney franchises: to continue the growth path of its protagonist and, at the same time, to expand its starting mythology. The result is a good adventure film, with nice and funny characters, who however would have needed more study to be truly memorable. The most pleasant aspect is the presence of a real villain, which unfortunately remains mostly in the background, but has the advantage of enriching in an interesting way plot ideas that could be deepened in the future. The Disney Classic of 2024 is perhaps less impactful than the first chapter, and probably Moana 2 is in Moana exactly as Frozen 2 is in Frozen: it ultimately represents a very solid continuation of one’s starting story.
Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rose Matafeo, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, David Fane, Hualalai Chung
Director: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Where to Watch: In Theaters
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars)
