Moana 2

Prequel: “Moana” (2016)

Moana has grown accustomed to her new role on her island of Motunui. She rides her wayfinder across the ocean to a couple nearby smaller island for items like, food, artifacts and the like. Plus, she’s now a big sister! A lot of change, but still…

Moana wonders about the other islands, far across the oceans. There must be other islanders out there, disconnected from each other. “The other nations and islands were all connected and everyone shared resources, agriculture and such. Where are they now?”, wonders Moana.

As Moana is getting ready to be crowned The Last Wayfinder by her tribe, a large bolt of lightning strikes the hut causing Moana to pass out. While unconscious, she receives a dream from her ancestors, or should I say ancestor. This ancestor was the last wayfinder to try and venture out to reconnect with the other islands, but he never returned; his name was Tautai. Tautai reveals to Moana that since the ocean called her she must be the one that can reconnect the islands with each other. Tautai reveals that if Moana is unsuccessful her island, as well as the others, will perish and everyone on them.

As if that isn’t stressful enough, she learns that in order to reconnect the islands she will need to travel to the lost, sunken island of Motofetu. She’ll need Maui to pull the island from the bottom of the ocean, and she, herself, will have to land on the island. But beware! The island is guarded by the god Nalo, and he is guarding it with powerful tsunamis and storms.

Moana won’t be on her own though. Three islanders accompany her: Loto, a wayfinder navigator and engineer of sorts, Kele, a very grumpy farmer, and Moni, a cultural historian as well as a very strong individual. Don’t forget the animals, too! Together Moana and her crew will face even more impossible odds, an adventure that will test Moana to her fullest.

I’m… perplexed by this sequel. What made “Moana” so memorable (setting aside all the mythology) was how the adventure was a serious matter, the film still made plenty of room for some humor to seep in. Sure, she had the incredibly heavy burden of restoring the heart of Tafiti to the island. Sure there was also moments of danger, but these were balanced by humorous moments between Moana and Maui and, yes, even a giant crab.

With “Moana 2,” the film feels much heavier, much bleaker and just overall hopeless. Moana is told over and over again that reconnecting the islands is a lost cause. As she fights with her crew to try to reach the islands, she’s hit with obstacle after obstacle, whether it’s being swallowed by a giant mystical clam (I’m not kidding, she’s swallowed by a giant clam and lives), dodging humongous tsunamis and storms, or even nearly being struck by lightning, the danger feels more real and more present. In the public showing I attended, the toddlers several rows ahead of me were crying in fear for portions of it. I don’t blame them; even for me some moments were a bit terrifying.

The music, well, that’s also something that failed to impress me. Maybe I’m too much of a music critic, but to me there were only a couple of songs that really stuck and matched the rest of the film. The rest of the music fell too close to pop songs, which defeats the purpose of using traditional Polynesian music (though I’ll admit there are new Polynesian pieces that really help the score). Considering these new songs were written by Lin Manuel-Miranda himself makes this even more painful to criticize, as I’ve always valued and enjoyed his pieces (“Hamilton,” “Encanto,” “In the Heights,” etc.)

The religious beliefs of the Polynesian people, their mythology as well as their practices are on display here in larger form than in the previous film. While I do understand that Polynesian culture, practices and beliefs encompass both Moana films, in “Moana 2” it definitely feels less subtle and, honestly, more concerning (polytheism, mystic practices, rituals, and even reincarnation. More on that later). This is an issue for followers of Christ.

To the film’s credit, the animation is just as breathtaking as the first film, If you do decide to see “Moana 2,” I highly recommend viewing it in 3D, as I did. There are moments, like the lightning strike at the beginning, that really made my jaw drop. Additionally, the overall pacing is really strong; I didn’t find myself checking my watch or impatiently waiting for the end (though I kind of figured how the film was going to end within the first 10 minutes).

Content for Concern

VIOLENCE: The level of danger certainly increases in this sequel. Moana and her animal friends fall off a cliff. After nearly being struck by lightning, Moana passes out. Maui is kidnapped. People are seen being shot by tranquilizers that paralyze them. Someone is seen being hit by a sail. Kakamora (the little coconuts) are seen being eaten by a giant clam. Later, Moana and her crew are engulfed by the clam but somehow survive. A child turns into a bat, in a dream sequence. Bats swarm, threatening to attack Moana. Sea monsters attack the boat. Characters are almost eaten by sea monsters. The god Nalo creates huge and terrifying tsunamis that come very close to killing characters. In one surprising sequence, a demi-god is struck by lighting up in the air and becomes human. A giant fish spits a green goo onto Maui and some smaller fish eat the goo. Later, Moana and her team are repeatedly slimed with the goo.

LANGUAGE: Relatively tame. Someone states, “That person is growing on me like a wart.” The word “sucking” is used. Someone mentions that a person got a “dream from both ends.” Someone tells another that he looks like kidney stones, to which the person replies, “You look like someone who knows what those are.” A character says the adventure is a “one way ticket to deadsville.”

NUDITY: All the males in this film are shirtless: villagers, Maui, etc. We see these shirtless characters many times. A young boy tries to flirt with Moana which makes her uncomfortable. Some female characters wear outfits that can be compared to midriffs. Maui mentions that he’s the only guy left that wears leaves as clothes.

MYSTICISM/OCCULT: The ancient demigod (demi-god) named Māui (a cultural hero and trickster) is again featured in this film and has supernatural abilities, including transformation into various creatures. This character is taken from actual Polynesian and Maori polytheism mythology. In Polynesian cultures it is said that Māui was rarely actually worshipped, but was more of a folk hero.

Other gods include the ocean which communicates with Moana and guides and assists her. Another god is the far more powerful Nalo who sends catastrophe, storms and monsters. He is assisted by an underworld goddess named Matangi with bat-like abilities. Apparently “matangi” (or “matagi”) is a word for breeze or wind in Oceania. However, there is much more well-known aggressive Hindu goddess of the same name. Hindus worship her, and she supposedly “governs speech, music, knowledge and the arts.”

The film features more communication with dead ancestors who appear as spirits, give her visions, talk to her, send a guiding comet and even provide a supernatural portal to take Moana to a distant island. Moana’s dead paternal grandmother returns as a manta ray spirit. These spirits have some god-like abilities, including turning a person into a new demigod with great supernatural powers.

OTHER: Maui lies, saying he “used Moana to restore Tafiti.” Some characters are quite cynical.

Lessons

Throughout the film we watch Moana struggle with her identity, who she needs to be for her people, and her ability to save everyone. This hinders her journey temporarily but is still something she must wrestle with.

Sometimes we face obstacles and challenges that feel insurmountable. We doubt we have the ability to overcome these challenges. Sometimes we feel hopeless and failed.

We often forget that with God all is possible, there’s no reason to doubt Him.

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” —Romans 8:31

God will be strong enough for you, and when you ask for his help, he is able and willing.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” —James 1:5-8

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” —Psalm 73:26

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint” —Isaiah 40:31

So believe in God, believe in His power and nothing will be impossible to accomplish…

“The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” —Exodus 15:2

Final Thoughts

Disney just loves making sequels. After all, if a film is successful (or even if it’s unsuccessful), if it makes tons of money, it’s time for a sequel. That doesn’t necessarily mean a sequel has to be made (Toy Story 5? Frozen 3? Why? Is Disney REALLY that badly out of original ideas?. They’ve even begun remaking the first “Moana” into a live-action version!

Honestly, in my personal opinion and viewer comments I’ve read, “Moana 2” didn’t need to be made. The first film ended perfectly. But since “Moana 2” DOES exist, it carries a far more serious, far more risky and more hopeless picture than the first one. Sure, there are some laughs from time to time, but the humor as a whole is significantly decreased. The music isn’t as memorable, and the mythology and mysticism is far more prevalent in “Moana 2” than in “Moana” 1.

I really don’t recommend this film, especially for younger children and toddlers. They will certainly be frightened by certain characters and situations. For Christians, this one will likely divide households in terms of its elements like reincarnation, polytheism, and the like.

Ultimately the decision is yours, but I do suggest parents first pre-screen this film before taking children and even teens. My overall grade for this film is a C+. Find something better to watch.

• Mysticism/Occult: Moderately Heavy
• Violence: Moderate
• Nudity: Moderate
• Language: Mild
• Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
• Sex: None
• Wokeism: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.