I was a Disney kid through and through who had the honor of growing up during the height of the studio’s Renaissance Era, when some of the studio’s best movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King were all the rage. But my favorite movie from Walt Disney Animation that I didn’t grow up with is 2016’s Moana. While a lot of times these days, I lament that these films are more for younger audiences than me, the all-new musical had the unique ability to pierce right through into my inner child and become a recurring comfort movie I’ve gone back to again and again.
So,as you can imagine, I was excited to hear that Moana 2 is coming out this fall. Sadly, I’m not as excited for it as I hoped for a few reasons.
The Moana 2 Trailer Didn’t Wow Me
Moana 2’s trailer dropped earlier this week with a small sneak peak at the return of the Polynesian princess, Dwayne Johnson’s Maui and her animal sidekicks. As the first look revealed, when Moana gets some sort of call from her wayfinding ancestors, she must go on another epic voyage on the sea. Check it out:
Now, don’t get me wrong, this trailer has me hyped to see another Moana movie on the big screen, but I’m not falling to pieces in anticipation as I wanted to be doing. Mainly, it feels like the sequel is hitting a lot of the same beats as the original did, and it didn’t really tease anything major that has me looking forward to how it will distinguish itself from the first movie. It seems like more of what the first movie had, and… well, I’ve seen that already.
I’ve Sadly Been Consistently Disappointed With Disney Animated Movies Recently
One major reason why I don’t have high expectations around Moana 2 has to do with the studio disappointing me a lot more recently with its releases. To be clear, I’m speaking about Walt Disney Animation, not Pixar, but it’s been a while since I felt like the House of Mouse made a truly great new movie.
Since Moana, the closest entry I’d add to the list was 2021’s Encanto, especially since “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” got lovingly under my skin in a way a Disney hit hasn’t in a while. Encanto also felt like a real Disney moment when it came out that we hadn’t seen in a long time because it connected with so many people, but I don’t personally find myself wanting to watch the movie over and over.
Obviously, Frozen II hit big and was another success for the studio, but I didn’t think it was as strong as its original. The studio’s other recent movies, Strange World and Wish, were fun watches, but it felt like they came and went without much buzz, success or re-watchability.
The Story Behind Moana 2 Worries Me
Another thing about Moana 2 that worries me is the fact that the studio seems to have decided to make it while it was making the Moana streaming series, which has since been replaced with this movie. That’s right, Moana was initially going to get a Disney+ show which was in development until Walt Disney Animation announced a sequel was going to come out instead. I’m somewhat bothered that the studio didn’t think its story for Moana was good enough originally for the big screen, but then seemingly made an abrupt shift, perhaps in hopes to make more money from audiences.
What bothers me a lot lately about Disney in general is you can feel how its properties and movie decisions are geared toward business goals rather than the House of Mouse taking swings in the name of great storytelling. Moana 2 being perhaps rushed to fill a November holiday slot on its theatrical calendar stresses me out because the character deserves more than that.
Lin-Manuel Miranda Is Not Involved This Time Around
Then there is the fact that Lin-Manuel Miranda did not sign up to write the lyrics this time around for Moana 2. He has been replaced by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who wrote The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical together. Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi have returned to compose the film score for Moana 2. Now, I’m not saying I need Lin-Manuel Miranda to write the lyrics for Moana 2 to be good, but I find it a tad concerning that the talent, who wrote some incredible music for the original movie, decided not to return this time around.
Did he not like the script? Was there some kind of creative falling out? Of course, it’s very much possible that Miranda has just been busy with other things, but I’m still worried about this element nonetheless. Going back to the trailer, the music teased sounded just like the original movie. I also would have preferred more Polynesian representation in the songwriting team.
Do We Even Need A Moana Sequel?
This brings me to my final point on Moana 2. I’m not sure I really want or need another Moana movie as I think about what’s coming up. The story itself works so well on its own, with Moana embracing her powers and learning to believe in herself. I am all for going back to the world of the story established in the first movie, but I hope Disney found a worthy story to tell for Moana this time around.
Not to mention Disney already has Moana among upcoming live-action Disney remakes on the way for the summer of 2026. I can’t believe Disney feels the need to revisit such an incredible work of animation less than a decade after its release. Let it breathe!
Now, while I’m certainly airing all my stresses about Moana 2 ahead of its release, I will most definitely be at a theater with my popcorn ready to enjoy and be wrong about the sequel come November 27. I’ll probably even do the viral double-feature with Wicked people have been talking about.