Moana 2 disappoints critics after rave reviews for first film

The new Disney sequel started life as a spin-off television series, and critics say it shows

Moana 2, the eagerly-awaited sequel to Disney’s hit 2016 animated adventure, has been met with lukewarm reviews from critics.

The original film was set in ancient Polynesia and introduced audiences to Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a local chief, and Maui, a shape-shifting demigod. It also featured songs by Hamilton writer Lin-Manuel Miranda. It is currently being remade as a live action film.

In the new animated sequel, which picks up the story three years later, Auli’i Cravalho reprises her voice role as the title character with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returning as Maui. The songs are by Unofficial Bridgerton Musical creators Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.

The film started life as a spin-off television series, and several critics have criticized it for retaining a lacklustre episodic structure and failing to convince as a stand-alone movie.

“It’s more accurate to describe Moana 2 like an episode of a mediocre Moana television series (which is what the sequel was originally supposed to be), where the characters remain relatively static and merely respond to whatever crisis emerges each week,” wrote William Bibbiani of The Wrap.

“There’s nothing particularly terrible about Moana 2,” continued Bibbiani. “But the fact that it’s necessary to write ‘there’s nothing particularly terrible about Moana 2’ means something still went wrong.”

Maui (voiced by Dwanye Johnson) and Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) in ‘Moana 2' (Disney)

Kevin Maher of The Times also detected unwelcome traces of the reworked television series. “The narrative stumbles forward in episodic fits and starts through self-contained story bites that have little impact on the wider, regrettably flabby, arc,” writes Maher in his two-star review. “An adventure with Matangi plays like a filler episode that would have been axed long before any series got to streaming.”

He concludes: “It’s just a shame that the [...] film, unlike Moana, never really finds its way.”

India Block of the Evening Standard was more positive, handing out a five-star review and praising the new songwriters. “Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear prove adept and emotional songwriters that can channel Lin-Manuel Miranda’s (who did not return as a lyricist for the sequel) style to keep continuity without veering into pastiche,” writes Block.

She also highlighted the film’s appearance, saying: “The animation is even more beautiful, allowing you to see every grain of sand and drop of ocean spray. With artistry this good, it begs the question for why a live-action remake (billed for a 2026 release) is needed at all.”

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Rolling Stone critic David Fear, meanwhile, argued that the film is better than the “straight-to-video sequels Disney used to grant their most popular titles back in the day.”

But he did suggest audiences may still want to lower their expectations. “The overall sentiment seems to be something like Sequel 101: You loved the first movie, so here’s a second movie that’s a lot like the first movie,” writes Fear. “This is the good news if that’s what you’re after. If not, well: It’s one hour and 40 minutes.”