Moana 2 fails to live up to original, critics say

The sequel to animated Disney musical Moana has been broadly described by film critics as good – but not as good as the 2016 original.

The Telegraph awarded four stars to the follow-up, which it called a “giddily animated triumph”.

Empire gave the same rating, saying the new film is “a touch less fresh than the original”, but is “still bursting with energy, emotion, warmth and imagination”.

However, the Guardian awarded two stars to Moana 2, saying “this frictionless sequel lacks genuine passion”.

The newspaper’s critic Peter Bradshaw described it as “a vacuum-packed slice of digital IP content, a perky ChatGPT iteration of love, laughter and belonging”.

“It is all inoffensive enough, but weirdly lacking in anything genuinely passionate or heartfelt, all managed with frictionless smoothness and algorithmic efficiency,” he wrote.

The original story of an adventurous Polynesian girl who sets sail on a mission to save her people was a box office hit eight years ago.

Moana 2 reunites its titular star, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, and Dwayne Johnson’s demigod Maui, on a new voyage to save other islanders oppressed by the evil god Nalo.

They are joined by a crew of “unlikely seafarers”, as Disney put it – namely the wide-eyed Moni (Hualālai Chung), brat Loto (Rose Matafeo) and grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane).

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman summed up the film as a “more dutiful than inspired sequel which turns into a catchy action fairy tale”.

“Moana doesn’t have much inner journey left, but the movie has vibrant monsters and a flow of movement that keeps your eyeballs dancing,” he wrote.

He noted how the new songs “lack that Lin-Manuel Miranda magic” that was present in the orginal on memorable tracks like How Far I’ll Go and You’re Welcome.

“Moana 2 is an okay movie, an above-average kiddie roller-coaster, and a piece of pure product in a way that the first Moana at its best, transcended,” he concluded.

“The new movie wears you down to win you over; it’s a just efficient enough delivery system for follow-your-dreams inspiration to be a major holiday hit.”

The Telegraph’s Tim Robey was more positive about the “exhilarating, romping sequel with songs that put Wicked to shame”.

He added: “Moana 2 exhilarates with its tunefulness, and absolutely romps along from the moment the heroine gets off the island, bound for another adventure on her trusty outrigger canoe.”

The earworms in the soundtrack “cluster neatly around entwined themes: spreading your wings versus the tug of homesickness; finding your path but daring also to lose it”, he wrote.

However, the Radio Times said the “colourful Disney sequel lacks emotional impact”.

“The follow-up will appeal to the youngest of fans, but parents may find themselves less invested,” wrote James Mottram, awarding three stars.

Screen Daily’s Tim Grierson declared that the movie was “not as bold as its heroine”.

“What once seemed so effortlessly charming about this young wayfinder forging her own path has, in Part Two, become more convoluted and stilted – it’s a journey that, frustratingly, leads nowhere.”

BBC Culture reviewer Nicholas Barber said the sequel was a “solid” effort given that number one was “a hard act to follow”.

He branded number two as a “hurtling Disneyland rollercoaster ride” that lacks the joy and refreshing originality of its predecessor.

“It comes across as several episodes glued together, each one more outlandish than the last.”

A Moana sequel was initially mooted as a Disney+ series, but taking it to cinemas instead has now set up a box office battle with the first Wicked film, which has just been released.

Wicked, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, earned $114m (£90.6m) on its opening weekend in North America.

Moana 2 is expected to make big waves at the box office, too, aiming to for between $135m and $145m (£107m-£115m) this weekend, according to Variety.

For Sunday’s UK premiere, London’s Leicester Square was transformed into a Polynesian island, complete with palm trees, a beach and dancers.

Johnson told cinemagoers they should feel free to sing. “Especially if you love music, that’s the fun part,” the US star, aka the Rock, told BBC News.

Recently, there has been a debate on social media around whether people should sing along in cinemas, sparked by the release of Wicked.