Moana 2 review: This disjointed sequel lacks idea and fails to live up to the hype of magical original

MOANA 2

(PG), 100mins

★★☆☆☆

THE predecessor was one of the greatest cartoon films in Disney history.

With catchy songs and a refreshingly original storyline about a powerful young Polynesian girl that didn’t involve a sniff of romance, 2016’s Moana was unchartered territory for Disney animation.

Eight long years have passed since the teen idol was on the big screen.

So is it worth the wait? Well, frankly, no.

And while this film is visually perfect and entertaining-ish, it doesn’t touch the genius of the first.

We meet our heroine as she takes trips to other islands to find signs of life.

Three years have passed in Moana’s world and she is now a young woman who knows who she is.

Lost the plot

She is embraced by her community as a future leader and adventurer, and has plenty of superfans amongst her peers.

Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) soon hears of an island called Motofetu — the meeting place for people across the ocean.

But Motofetu is cursed by an angry God and she needs the help of tattooed demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson).

Soon, the pair, along with a motley crew — including boat designer Loto (voiced by Rose Matafeo), an unloveable old farmer and her chubby pig and boss-eyed chicken — are whizzing through the sea at, often, stomach-churning speed.

At points I had to shut my eyes as I felt a little motion sick.

Ironically, while most of the film takes place on the water, the plot never really flows.

It’s almost like a TV series version of Moana, with several locations, characters and disasters that never come together.

The demigod of lightning, Nalo, is never seen or understood — and it’s not explained why he has cursed the land.

A fun scene with a colony of angry coconuts is very entertaining, but after a while becomes a little too much of a dream sequence for my liking.

There’s plenty of jeopardy, but none of it is scary or has much consequence.

And all of the storylines seem short on, well, an idea.

The songs, written by TikTok sensations Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, are fun enough, but certainly not as catchy as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius songs in the first film.

Sadly, this Moana just feels lost at sea.

CONCLAVE

(12A), 120mins