What to remember for ‘Moana 2’

Make room, give room! Moana is back in Disney’s latest sequel “Moana 2,” and embarks on a whole new adventure. But there are definitely some things from the first movie that you might want to keep in mind.

The first film is now streaming on Disney+ — in fact, it’s the most streamed title on the service to date — and centers on Moana (Auli’i Cravalho), a young girl from Motonui who becomes a hero to her people. The sequel doesn’t require you to have seen the first, but there are a few that might be helpful.

In case you don’t have the time (or possibly the inclination) to rewatch before you hit the theaters, we went ahead and collected these pieces for you.

Moana’s Pathfinder Roots

Moana has always been drawn to the sea, much to the chagrin of her father, the chief. He considers the sea too deadly to explore and always prevents his daughter and his people from going beyond the reef.

But as the island’s food supply begins to die out, Moana’s grandmother tells her that Te Fiti, the goddess responsible for creating life, is dying herself because her heart was taken (more on that in a moment). Gramma Tala also reveals that as a baby, Moana was chosen by the sea itself to restore the heart of Te Fiti, which is why Moana has such a bond with the water.

Gramma Tala then takes Moana to a hidden spot on the island where Moana’s father hid his people’s boats, revealing that the people of Motonui were actually travelers and pathfinders.

So, against her father’s wishes, Moana sets out to restore the heart of Te Fiti, all the while avoiding the lava monster Te Ka.

“How far will I go”

Moana’s power song — or, as it’s known in Disney terms, her “I want” song — from the first movie was “How Far I’ll Go.” Odds are, if you have a young child who came up with the movie, there’s simply no way you’ll ever forget that song.

But if you have a chance, you might want to freshen up. The song doesn’t get a repeat or anything in the new movie, but the dialogue does include one lot of variations of the actual phrase, calls back to the song. The joke might land better if you remember the song. You can listen to it below.

Who is Maui?

Maui is a demigod that Moana recruits in the first film to restore the heart of Te Fiti. Of course, he is also the one who stole the heart in the first place.

He stole it before the people of Motonui though – that’s pretty much his whole thing. He pulls up islands from the sea for people to inhabit (this is especially important to remember as it is an important part of “Moana 2”), he is responsible for creating most natural phenomena and is determined to be a hero.

He is also covered in tattoos that appear after every adventure he has. One of these tattoos is a Mini Maui that is actually somewhat alive and interacts with both Maui and those around him.

He is cocky but generally kind-hearted and relies on a magical fish hook to transform into various creatures

How did “Moana” end?

In the end, Moana realizes that Te Fiti actually transformed into Te Ka after Maui stole her heart and inadvertently created a monster.

Realizing this, Moana restores the heart to its proper place and brings back Te Fiti’s true, generous form. Te Fiti restores Maui’s hook, which is broken in battle, restores life to the sea and the islands around it, and finally chooses to simply rest.

Moana returns to her people a hero and a proper pathfinder thanks to Maui’s training on their journey.

Tomato

Tamatoa is one of the secondary antagonists in “Moana”, a giant crab with a penchant for shiny objects. He is voiced by Jemaine Clement and is just a little goofy.

He is not the main antagonist in “Moana 2”, but he is worth remembering.