What Can I Say Except Dissapointed: Moana 2” was a disgrace to the first “Moana” and producers should have added more funny and engaging elements

Settling into my movie theater seat beside twenty children running around, I got snug to watch “Moana 2”. With a Wild Berry Poppi, Nerds Gummy Clusters and perfectly buttered popcorn in hand I was ready to watch a perfectly executed sequel to one of my favorite Disney movies.

Little did I know I should have left when the first child ran around the theater because it wasn’t worth the hour and 40 minutes of my life.

Before you think I am just a “Moana” hater, I absolutely loved the first movie. The plot was hilarious and entertaining, especially the giant crab villain. The songs were catchy, and seven-year-old me was obsessed and I still love it to this day. None of these engaging elements were in the second movie.

“Moana 2” was disappointingly lacking new characters that were likeable, music and had no emotional conflicts, making the movie feel somewhat pointless.

The general plot follows 19-year-old Moana after she receives a vision from her island’s former chiefs. The vision tells her that if she doesn’t find other humans outside her island, her people will die. She recruits a crew consisting of a farmer, a young man, an engineer and of course Maui — her accomplice from the first movie, and I was excited that he had been included again.

They sail out to find the island Motufetu that will connect her people to other humans. Along the way, the group encounters many obstacles such as Kakamora, a giant clam, a bat lady and the villain Nalo, the god of storms. 

The plot wasn’t bad per se, but it was definitely not as fun as the plot in the first movie. One thing I really missed was the charm of the villain. In the first movie, the crab Tamatoa was one of the side villains and he made me laugh throughout the entire movie. He also had a hilarious and catchy song called “Shiny.” Whereas the Nalo in “Moana 2” wasn’t even able to talk. 

Another big disappointment to me in this movie was the lack of fun songs. While it did have a soundtrack, the songs weren’t engaging and I found myself wishing they were all over after 30 seconds. In the original Moana, there were multiple memorable songs including “How Far I’ll Go” sung by Moana, and “You’re Welcome,” which was sung by Maui. On the other hand, in “Moana 2” I had forgotten all the songs by the time I left the theatre.

The last factor that sealed my negative opinion was that there were no emotional obstacles Moana had to overcome. In the first movie, she was enemies with Maui, she had to mourn her grandmother’s death and she was conflicted about whether she wanted to be the chief of her island or pursue her passion for the ocean. The sequel only included physical conflicts, which wile they are necessary, aren’t as interesting as the emotional ones. The only thing she had to overcome was the grouchy and sassy old farmer.

Even though nothing could have beaten the original “Moana,” I still held out hope that it would defy my expectations, but I honestly was even more let down with how it turned out. If “Moana” lovers want to stay fans of this story they should skip the second movie and stick to what they know and love — singing crabs and fun songs, not a poorly executed plot and music to make your ears bleed.