By John Corrado

Disney’s Moana became a box office hit when it was released eight years ago in 2016. The film has enjoyed a strong shelf life with audiences since then, so it was inevitable that, for better or for worse, the studio would want to do more with these characters.

Enter Moana 2, which began life as a streaming series developed for Disney Plus, before being retooled by first time directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller into a feature length theatrical release.

The result is a perfectly adequate and at times fairly enjoyable sequel, with a story that takes place three years after the first movie. In many ways, Moana 2 is a natural expansion of this world. But it also lacks much of its predecessor’s spark.

The titular teenager Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) is now following in the footsteps of her Polynesian ancestors as a wayfinder, setting out on her own solo adventures. When she discovers evidence of other cultures beyond her island of Motunui, that were once connected by the hidden island of Motufetu, she sets out to break an ancient curse that will reunite the people of Oceania.

Moana embarks on the voyage with her own ragtag crew of new characters, including Maui fanboy Moni (Hualālai Chung), canoe builder Loto (Rose Matafeo), and cranky farmer Kele (David Fane). The ocean journey eventually brings her back to Maui (Dwayne Johnson), the demigod who stole scenes in the first film. The diminished presence of Johnson’s Maui is felt here, with the film having a noticeable uptick in energy once he reappears.

The friendship between Moana and Maui is still the strongest part of the narrative, but takes somewhat of a backseat here. The screenplay (credited to Miller and returning screenwriter Jared Bush) features a lot of recycled plot points and jokes from the first movie, relying heavily on callbacks, and the new side characters feel thinly written. Again, it’s largely fine. But Moana 2 too often feels like a retread, when the first film already did it better.

Despite drawing from Polynesian lore, the plot itself skews towards younger viewers, and lacks some tension. There is an overly episodic feel to the narrative at times that makes it somewhat clear this was initially being developed as a streaming series. It involves what feels like several side quests, including the return of the Kakamora, those coconut pirates from the first movie who shoot tranquilizer darts.

One of the most popular aspects of the first Moana was the soundtrack, and it’s another area where this sequel is a notch below. While composers Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foaʻi have returned, what’s lacking are the contributions of Lin-Manuel Miranda (Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear replace him as additional songwriters). The Moana 2 songs are adequate, but not as memorable or catchy.

While Moana 2 feels like a case of diminished returns from the first one, it is by no means a bad movie on its own. It’s inoffensive and passably entertaining, with enough colourful animation to keep our eyes on the screen. There are some amusing moments involving comic relief sidekicks like dimwitted rooster Heihei (once again “voiced” by Disney regular Alan Tudyk) and pet pig Pua, who are given slightly expanded roles here.

We also get a new scene-stealer in Moana’s little sister Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), who is a cute addition to the cast. It’s a decent enough sequel that will play very well to the target demo of younger kids, that it was likely being developed for as a series. At the very least, it’s another animated adventure in this world, before we get the live action Moana remake slated for 2026.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Moana 2 opens exclusively in theatres on November 27th.