Across the Empty Ocean

It’s fair to say that Disney is in need of hits. They were, only a few short years back, riding high at the top of the world, the most successful studio in Hollywood, with (seemingly) every film they put out making at least a Billion dollars at the Box Office, time and again. They once accounted for so much of the Box Office haul that you could practically combine everything else the other major studios put out in a year, and Disney made as much. They had Star WarsThe modern blockbuster: it's a concept so commonplace now we don't even think about the fact that before the end of the 1970s, this kind of movie -- huge spectacles, big action, massive budgets -- wasn't really made. That all changed, though, with Star Wars, a series of films that were big on spectacle (and even bigger on profits). A hero's journey set against a sci-fi backdrop, nothing like this series had ever really been done before, and then Hollywood was never the same. and they had the Marvel Cinematic UniverseWhen it first began in 2008 with a little film called Iron Man no one suspected the empire that would follow. Superhero movies in the past, especially those not featuring either Batman or Superman, were usually terrible. And yet, Iron Man would lead to a long series of successful films, launching the most successful cinema brand in history: the Marvel Cinematic Universe., and that was what audiences wanted to see. That is no longer the case.

Disney’s major franchises are all going belly up, and audiences are finding it far easier to stay away from recurring series at this point. The latest Marvel films have been one flop after another (outside of Deadpool & Wolverine), and even “sure fire” hits are taking longer to become profitable, and most of them aren’t even reaching the $1 Bil mark anymore. Disney’s fortunes have shifted, largely due to problems of their making, and now they’re scrambling to make anything that audiences want. Anything at all. “Please!” they’re practically crying out.

One such scramble gamble was Moana 2, their 2024 Disney PrincessesReleased in 1937, Disney's Snow White was a gamble for the company: the first fully-animated, feature-length film ever created. It's success lead to the eventual creation of the Disney Princess franchise, which has spawned 13 main-line films and multiple spin-off movies and shows. movie that was originally developed as a television series for Disney+Disney's answer in the streaming service game, Disney+ features the studio's (nearly) full back catalog, plus new movies and shows from the likes of the MCU and Star Wars.. Somewhere along the line the higher-ups realized that spending a whole bundle of money (a reported $150 Mil budget) on a season of TV that would disappear into the Disney+ almost as soon as it debuted probably wasn’t the best use of Disney’s dwindling cash. So, instead, they repurposed the already in development TV series into a theatrical film.

And it was a gamble that paid off as the character hadn’t been seen since 2016, and we hadn’t even had a Disney Princess film since 2021’s Raya and the Last Dragon (which flopped at the Box Office, so it really didn’t even count). Moana 2 ended up making just over $1 Bil at the Box Office (which was nearly $400 Mil more than the first film), and proved there was still life left in at least one of Disney’s franchises. The trick was for the company to not overdo it (a strategy they’ve often ignored the last few years).

So audiences showed up and loved it. That means it’s good, right? Well… yes and no. There are parts of the film that are fantastic, with great character development, fun sequences, and interesting twists on the formula from the first film. At the same time, though, the movie feels very episodic, as if it’s straining against what it was and what Disney turned it into. You can practically feel the episode seams as the movie plays out, with two songs and a plot twist coming every twenty minutes, like clockwork. Once you know it was supposed to be a TV show, it’s kind of hard to see it as anything else.

But the fact remains that the film is actually kind of fun. It’s not super challenging, and it won’t really push little kids watching it at all. This is a second, fun Moana adventure that doesn’t stray all that far from the first movie. Maybe it doesn’t have to, though, considering audiences liked it and it made a ton of money. But if you’re going in expecting some grander adventure that really pushes the character, and the world, and strives to be something more than it is… this is not that movie. This is Moana, again, with some minor new ideas.

The film sees our adventuring seafarer, Moana (voiced once again by Auliʻi Cravalho), sailing around islands in her home seas, searching for signs of other humans. Her tribe is the only one she knows of, and they’re desperate to find any sign of other civilizations. She does manage to find a single pot, the first evidence other humans once existed anywhere nearby, and she takes this back home to show to her people. But a stray lightning bolt, and a vision that comes after, shows Moana that she can’t just sit on her island and wait. She has to hit the ocean, with a crew of fellow islanders – Hualālai Chung as Maui superfan Moni, Rose Matafeo as shipbuilder Loto, and David Fane as grumpy farmer Kele – to find the other humans.

Her goal is to find the lost island of Motufetu, a central hub that, supposedly, would connect all of humanity. An evil god, Nalo, hid the island from humans, preferring to keep them apart and away from each other. If a human sets foot on the island, it would break Nalo’s power, bringing all of humanity together. Moana has to be the person to get to the island, and with her crew, along with returning demigod Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), she might just have a chance.

To be clear, there are parts of Moana 2 that work really well. The art style has gotten a solid upgrade, with lush colors, great looking characters, and water that seems so touchably wet. This is a gorgeous film that shows the power of Disney’s animation team, for sure. And it’s backed by a decent soundtrack (some of the songs, especially late in the film, are fun) and a solid voice cast. Production wise, Moana 2 is aces, for sure. It hits all the right notes and does it handsomely.

Where the film falters is in the story, especially the first half. As this was a television show that then became a theatrical release, it has a very clear structure. You could call it a film in four acts, if you wanted. The first act is the reintroduction to the characters, spending a full twenty minutes outlining Moana’s wants, needs, and quest to come. The next act then spends time getting us familiar with her crew on the open water, while Moana works to bond with them and get them ready for the adventure ahead. This is half the film, at least, for what could have been easily half the runtime. It feels very padded, and packed with redundant storytelling (as well as a lot of dumb, silly jokes meant to entertain the under-six crowd, for whom the TV show was originally intended).

The back half of the film is much better, getting us absorbed into the actual adventure. At this point the film finds not only momentum but also efficiency in its storytelling. It wouldn’t surprise me if the first two episodes had largely been in the can before Disney executives came along and said, “make this into a movie,” so they trimmed away most of the credits and slapped those into the first half. After, the rest of the story was cut down and remade into a tighter 40 minutes to get the job done, and this is where the magic happens. These last two acts feel theatrical, propulsive and interesting, in a way that the first half lacked.

And I guess that actually does work to the film’s favor. We often see films that have a great opening but aren’t able to stick the landing, but Moana 2 is the opposite kind of film. It has a shaky start, but once it picks up it moves forward with grace and purpose. It absolutely nails its back half, with fun songs and great character beats, all leading to a very satisfying conclusion. It results in a film that gets it right when it needs to, which likely led to audiences having a favorable view of the film because they were led to a great climax. Again, the film made $1 Bil, so clearly audiences enjoyed the end result. The back half of the film being solid helped that a lot.

I don’t think the film is perfect, mind you. I really wish the first half were tighter, without so much fluff and padding. The film could be more efficient getting us into the plot and getting all the characters in place, and it does bog down the movie for a bit. But once it got going, I had no complaints. I was in it and enjoyed the second half a lot. There are worse ways a film can conclude, and Moana 2 at least has the grace to end well, even if it needed some time to get there. I wouldn’t call this a stronger entry than the first film, but it is fun and very watchable.

We just have to hope now that Disney doesn’t rush things. They had a hit here, and I’m sure their desire is to fast track a third Moana film immediately. But part of why audiences were happy to return for the character is because they had eight years to miss her. She spent enough time away that when she came back, audiences wanted to see her again. The lesson Disney should learn is that they should take their time and let the fans anticipate a character’s return. I just doubt Disney will take that to heart, for Moana or any of their other characters.