Review: Will ‘Moana 2’ sail into Disney’s hall of fame?

I remember sitting in the theater in 2016 with two of my young children watching “Moana” for the first time. I was moved by the music, captivated by the story, connected to the characters and amused by the comedy. It was a home run; I knew it would be a Clyde family favorite.

It’s eight years later and “Moana 2” is now in theaters. I didn’t expect to be as surprised and delighted with this sequel as I was with the original, but I was optimistic and excited.

But before I jump into what I thought of the movie, I want to go off on a bit of a tangent.

There was a time when Disney made sequels that never hit the theater. These sequels to the studio’s big, animated features were smaller offerings saved for VHS. They were titles like “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride“”Aladdin and the King of Thieves“and”The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.” They weren’t great movies, but they were fine to throw in the VCR on a Wednesday afternoon to entertain a toddler after lunchtime.

Now back to “Moana 2.” I’m not saying it is”Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas” quality, but it doesn’t come close to reaching the heights of the first film. Unfortunately, the sequel feels like a cash grab, not a well-executed, full-fledged film.

Here are some reasons why “Moana 2” was a disappointment.

The songs missed the mark

There was a lot to like about “Moana,” but one of the hallmarks was undoubtedly the music. Lin-Manuel Miranda brought his A-game when he wrote for that film. There’s a reason we still hum “You’re Welcome” on a weekly basis, and why “How Far I’ll Go” still puts a lump in our throats. The songs and music from the original are powerful, moving, catchy and memorable. The songs in “Moana 2” are not those things.

It’s not that the new music is terrible, but it lacks something special. Some of the songs were fun, but overall I just found myself longing for the songs of the original. Some of that may be related to the fact that Miranda did not return to offer her talents for “Moana 2.” There’s a song from Maui that’s fun, and another from a new character that has its moments, but ultimately falls a little flat compared to its predecessors.

The story and new characters felt rushed

The first “Moana” introduced us to Maui and Moana. It took us on a magical adventure that included flawed characters on a journey to better themselves as they strived to save an entire island. This new movie has lots of new characters but not the interest.

We meet about four new characters that are supposed to be an integral part of the story and the final outcome. But when the credits rolled, I couldn’t remember any of their names and didn’t care if I saw them again. It’s clear what the filmmakers were trying to achieve with each new character, but none were terribly interesting. I found one incredibly unpleasant and another was important until she wasn’t and we didn’t see her again.

Moana and her crew have a goal to achieve, but the stakes are introduced and never really raised. Suddenly we are at the climax and we have missed the interesting journey along the way.

Conclusion

Maybe I’m being a little harsh on “Moana 2”, but when you make something as good as the original, you have high expectations for a follow-up. It’s disappointing when you come up short like this movie did for me. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s definitely not what I was hoping for as a sequel to one of the best animated movies of the last decade.

With its mediocre musical numbers, flat characters and truncated narrative, “Moana 2” lacks the magic that made the first film so special.

That being said, I have no doubt that my kids will still have fun with the movie. My two oldest may not love it, but the baby, who is now 8, is going to be fine. In fact, when your child sings one of these new songs incessantly in your home, you’ll probably think, “John Clyde was so wrong,” and that’s okay. I love that millions of kids want to see a movie with characters they love, but I want to stick with the original.

“Moana 2” is rated PG for action/danger.