2016's Moana was lightning in a bottle: a critical darling – beloved for the cultural representation, classic feeling story, ear-worm songs and awe-inspired animation – that also grossed a tidy $687 million at the worldwide box office. But it has found even more success in the years since as the most streamed film ever as of 2024 (80 billion+ minutes and counting), so it's no surprise that Disney wanted to switch gears from a follow-up series on Disney+ to a fully fledged theatrical sequel.

It's hard to imagine that Moana would have had similar success if it had been titled Maui, instead following the antics of the tattooed Demigod voiced by Dwayne Johnson, as originally planned. But the film is perhaps such a hit because the young Polynesian teenager (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho) is the ‘anti-Disney princess', bucking tradition as an ambitious go-getter and rebellious explorer that matches her larger-than-life (literally) male counterpart toe-for-toe and then some.

3 years after the events of the first film, Moana is still seeking answers about her people and her purpose. When she discovers a secret left by her ancestors, Moana recruits a team of seafarers to venture to the island of Motufetū which has been cut off by Nalo, the god of storms. Breaking the curse would connect the people of Motenui to the islands around but it's not quite as easy as that so, with the help of Maui, the group ventures out into uncharted, treacherous ocean in the hopes of restoring the channels and bringing the people together. Moana, now a revered Wayfinder, has to grapple with everyone looking to her for guidance – the weight of her ancestors leaving big shoes to fill. So Moana 2 is a film all about living up to one's legacy; it's a fitting message for a sequel that will, admittedly, inevitably, never quite be able to live up to the staggering achievements of its predecessor.

And it doesn't. Not quite, anyway. Initially greenlit as a series for Disney+ in 2020, it's not clear how late in the process this was repurposed into a film but the remnants can certainly be felt – supporting characters and subplots are missing key development that would have been fleshed out in a longer, multi-hour show, the narrative lacks the feature-length ambition and wonder of the first, and the whole thing is entirely devoid of the presence of any real threat or villain as well.

The absence of Lin Manuel Miranda's lyrical verve in Moana 2 leaves a foot-tapping, head-bopping hole in the musical numbers too with most of the songs failing to catch the same energy of tracks like How Far I'll Go, Shiny, or You're Welcome. The sequel's centrepiece number Beyond is charming, if not all that memorable, while Johnson carries the entire soundtrack on his jacked, baby-oiled shoulders with Can I Get A Chee Hoo? which may be the only track worth having on repeat. But it's a very good song.

Speaking of Johnson, Maui's banter remains a highlight and his dynamic with Moana is just as boisterous, heartfelt, and funny as it was before. The pair share some excellent scenes and while it does take a little bit of screentime before they reunite, the film really finds its rhythm once they do. There are a lot of great thematic and emotional beats in the latter half involving their relationship and the action is pretty thrilling. So despite all of the narrative clunks, there's still a whole lot to like about the House of Mouse's latest. It may not be as groundbreaking as the original (it certainly feels more worthwhile than the live-action reboot that's currently being shot) but, as far as contemporary Walt Disney Animation sequels go, Moana 2 is solid fare. It's a fun, if slightly choppy, return to the seas for Moana and Maui that doesn't lose sight of the pair's charm amidst the franchise's burgeoning success.

Moana 2 is out in cinemas from November 29th.