The Movie Guru: ‘Moana 2’ Disney’s best sequel in years

I’ll admit, I was worried about “Moana 2.”

Sequels in general have been less than stellar for the last several years, and Disney hasn’t managed to avoid the slump. On top of that, the movie was originally slated to be a streaming series on Disney+, continuing the studio’s less-than-stellar history of turning their animated movies into TV shows. Given all that, I was sure it would be a disappointment.

I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. “Moana 2” is Disney’s best sequel since 2016’s “Finding Dory,” a fun, emotional adventure that honors the first movie while actually letting the characters grow and change in a way that makes sense. Despite the natural limitations (there are only so many ways you can battle the elements on a boat) it felt like an evolution rather than a retread. Even more surprising, it left me excited for the characters’ future.

The show reunites us with Moana a few years into her quest to find other islands. She’s found several, but all of them appear to be unpopulated. When a shard of pottery and a dramatic visit by one of her ancient ancestors give her a new quest, she sets out with a crew and Maui’s help to face even more danger than she’s ever known.

So many movies seem to reset everyone to try and make the story work, but “Moana 2” does exactly the opposite of that. Her family and people are incredibly supportive of her journeying, honoring her with a title that is actually part of what kicks off the new quest. She’s an experienced sailor and wayfinder in this one, but having to lead and worry about a crew brings its own set of challenges. Maui may seem as arrogant as ever, but his real motivations come from the fact that he’s learned what’s truly important.

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There’s some big, serious stuff here, but it also manages to be as funny and charming as the original. Hei Hei is once again venturing the high seas without a clue in the world, and the Kakamora (battle coconuts) are allowed to do more than just be a danger. The new characters are clearly here just for color, but they all have their own entertaining moments (special shoutout to David Fane’s grumpy farmer Kele).

The dynamic between Moana and Maui has also grown in the best way. Maui continues to be Dwayne Johnson’s best acting performance by far, forcing him to be emotional in ways he refuses to be in his live-action roles. His dynamic with Moana is deeper than last time, but it still has that same spark that makes them so great to watch together.

Sure, there are a few things to quibble over. The music doesn’t make as much of an impact as it did in the original, partly because its placement feels less organic. There are also still lingering traces of the movie’s series roots, particularly the reveal that the storm god will be an ongoing bad guy for what had clearly been a planned second season. A credits scene shows they’re still hoping to use that for a third movie, delivered in a way that made me feel I should be watching it on my laptop.

Still, I’ll forgive it if it gets me the third movie. If they keep making Moana movies this good, I want to see how far she’ll go.

Grade: Three and a half stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critic Society. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.