Moana 2 (2024)

When the original Moana arrived in 2016, it earned genuine affection from audiences and critics alike, largely on the strength of its Pacific Island setting, its music (courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i, and Mark Mancina), and a central performance from Auliʻi Cravalho that felt warm and grounded rather than merely animated. Eight years on, Walt Disney Animation Studios has returned to those waters with Moana 2, which opened in November 2024 to a global theatrical release and almost immediate commercial success. It is worth noting that the film began life as a Disney+ miniseries before being reworked into a feature, which perhaps goes some way to explaining certain structural choices in the finished product. Running at 100 minutes, it sits comfortably in the family blockbuster bracket without overstaying its welcome.

The film is directed by a trio: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the last of whom co-wrote the screenplay. Derrick and Hand are primarily story and animation veterans working their way up through the Disney ranks, while Ledoux Miller, who is of Māori and Samoan heritage, brings a perspective that connects meaningfully to the cultural grounding the original worked hard to establish. The premise picks up with Moana answering a call from her wayfinding ancestors, setting out across uncharted seas with Maui and a new crew in tow. Cravalho returns in the lead role, as does Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui, and they are joined by newcomers Hualālai Chung, the New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo, and David Fane. Johnson, as anyone who has seen his work in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, knows how to carry a family-friendly adventure with easy charisma, and that quality is very much present here. Matafeo in particular is a shrewd piece of casting, bringing a dry, slightly flustered energy that plays well against the more heroic characters around her.

Sequels to beloved animated films carry an almost impossible weight, and Disney's track record in this particular area is polished but unremarkable. The studio has form for delivering visually accomplished follow-ups that somehow feel lighter than their predecessors, and comparisons to films like Josep, an example of animation used to tell a story with real emotional heft, are a reminder of how high the bar can be set when the writing matches the craft. On the craft front, there is very little to fault here: the ocean environments are rendered with the kind of care and technical ambition you would expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios at full stretch, and the voice cast does the material justice throughout. Whether the story and songs can match that level of craft is, of course, the central question.

If you’re going to set sail again, you better have a good reason. Watched this with my 6 year old son, and to its credit, it kept his attention the whole way through, which is probably the biggest win any kids' movie can have. My 10 year old daughter (who loved the first one) didn't even sit all the way through it. The art style and animation? Stunning. The voice acting? On point. The story? Touching. But… something was missing. Maybe it’s just the impossible standard set by the first Moana, but this sequel doesn’t quite reach the same heights. The adventure is fun, but the songs didn’t hit as hard, and let’s be honest - leaving out "What Can I Say Except You're Welcome" was a bold (and questionable) choice. Still, for what it is? A solid, enjoyable watch. Just not quite the ocean-sweeping epic I was hoping for.

I think that tension between technical brilliance and emotional resonance is really the heart of it. The first film earned its place because everything clicked at once, and when you're chasing that feeling, even a very good sequel can feel like it's running slightly behind. The new crew members add some welcome colour, and Cravalho reminds you why she was such a good fit for this role in the first place, but a film like this lives or dies by its songs and its story momentum, and on both counts it's a half-step short of where it needs to be. Worth a watch, especially if you've got little ones in tow. Just maybe don't promise them the same magic as the first time around.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2024  | Watched: 2025-03-22

View on Letterboxd →

Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for Moana 2 (2024) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More with Auliʻi Cravalho: Moana (2016)
More from Canada: History of the World in Three Minutes Flat (1980) · Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) · Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) · Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
More from the 2020s: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · The Long Walk (2025) · Americana (2023)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)