The warm Polynesian spirit and open-sea sense of adventure is back in “Moana 2,” but little of the original’s humor or catchy songs finds its way into this heartfelt but lackluster sequel set three years after the original.
“Moana 2,” which opens in theaters Wednesday, was originally put into development as a streaming series before it was rerouted the big screen. Curiously, though, it’s not scale or spectacle lacking here. Directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller have made an often dazzlingly animated film that is, visually, a step up from 2016’s “Moana.”
But in a story that brings in a literal boatload of new characters, it’s hard to shake the feeling that “Moana 2” got caught in the crosswinds — too blown between shifting studio imperatives to really find its own way.
That’s a shame because the original “Moana” is about the lightest, most joyful animated movie Disney has made in a decade – with the possible exception of “Encanto,” which likewise bounced to the buoyant rhythms of songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. (Miranda is crucially absent in “Moana 2,” though “Hamilton” director Thomas Kail is currently developing a live-action “Moana.”)
Photorealistic remakes have been the more dominant providence of the Magic Kingdom in recent years, a trend that’s made more whimsical, imagination-filled animations like “Moana” all the more exceptional. Here was a movie that somehow balanced Pacific Island cultural authenticity with the cartoony delights of a demigod turned accidental shark and Jemaine Clement as a singing, flaunting giant crab. Talk about win win.
Such inventiveness is harder to come by in the perfectly earnest but not especially inspired “Moana.” It opens with a visibly grown Moana (Auli’i Cravalho, returning) engaged in a search for evidence of Pacific Islanders beyond her home island. She is by now a mythic figure, herself, to her people, idolized by youngsters for her courage and for being “super-besties” with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, also back).
When Moana turns up an artifact with evidence of a two-peaked island, Motufetu, fabled as the once binding center of their ancestors, she sets out to find the cursed island and reunite the disparate people of Oceania. This time, though, Moana is sailing with a more crowded boat.
Some of the old sidekicks — the rooster Heihei (with noises courtesy of Alan Tudyk) and the pig Pua — are back. But Moana decides she needs human help this time, and brings along a crew featuring the uber Maui fan Moni (Hualālai Chung), the engineer Loto (Rose Matefeo) and the curmudgeonly older farmer Kele (David Fane).
Each of these characters has one generic note to play, and while you could see the need to add in more personalities for a series (Moana also now has a cute little sister, voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), they are effectively dead weight in “Moana 2.”
To me, the iconic image of these films is Moana as a solo adventurer, leaning against the wind in her camakau and setting an unknown course. Sure, Maui is inevitably her buddy-comedy partner in adventure, but Moana and her canoe should permit passengers no more than John Wayne did on his horse.
After an encounter with the coconut brigade of the Kakamora, Moana and Maui eventually reunite via a giant clam, where Maui has been trapped by Matangai (Awhimai Fraser, having fun), a mysterious, bat-adorned figure who’s a kind of villain for the movie. She’s more interesting than some recent Disney antagonists and gets probably the best song (“Get Lost”) in a movie that mightily misses Miranda’s touch. (The songs are by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.)
That scene and the climactic one, with a sea of tornadoes spinning across stormy waters, are vividly drawn — enough, surely, to delight younger moviegoers. Coming fast on the heels of “Wicked,” one of the most salient selling points of “Moana 2” may be its comparatively nimble running time. At 100 minutes, it’s a full hour shorter than “Wicked.”
Ironically, “Moana 2” — beefed up from a would-be series — has brevity in its favor. But the hopes for “Moana 2” should go beyond mere placeholder. Only a few times does the banter between Moana and Maui really remind you of the fun that characterized the original. In one such moment, Moana corrects Maui after he calls her — perhaps confusing Moana for many other Disney protagonists — a princess. His comeback? “Well, a lot of people think you are.”
“Moana 2,” a Walt Disney Co. release is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for action/peril. Running time: 100 minutes. Two stars out of four.