Walt Disney Animation Studios dropped a teaser trailer last month for the upcoming sequel to Moana, slated to release on November 27th, 2024. The trailer features Moana three years after the events of the first film, which came out in 2016. Moana is on a journey with Maui, Heihei the chicken, and Pua the pig, who will actually join her adventure this time.
The journey of this movie seems to be that Moana wants to reconnect with their adventurous ancestors across the oceans like they used to be until her tribe settled on their island. After saving the day by returning the heart to Te Fiti, who changes from an angry volcanic creature to a gentle green giant, and settles on a lush island, Moana wants to reunite her people and travel the world.
The trailer showcases some stunning animation, and the water looks as fluid as ever. The trailer also highlights some potentially interesting landmarks and stops that will be intriguing to see in theaters. Moana was a simple but great tale of a heroic heroine who wants to see the world and be with the ocean, and the sequel may not be much different but with new and interesting elements.
I also wonder what the antagonist of the film will be. Maui is a flawed character who redeems himself in the end, and sometimes even acts antagonistic with Moana, but ultimately has a good heart. Te Ka was the overall ‘villain’ of the film, though she was actually Te Fiti all along, and was simply thrown out of balance because Maui stole the heart.
It was also a fun film to see Moana evolve as a heroine. She only knew the island her whole life and wanted more. In her song, “How Far I’ll Go”, she wants to explore, but can’t due to her family’s fears until one day she leaves to go on her grand adventure and learn to conquer the sea. In the end, this leads her to part the seas to confront Te Ka and restore her to her original state. This also makes Moana a great role model for children to look up to, with her strength, courage, and determination to complete her goals.
A lot of people are unsure about Moana 2, as Disney has been on a sequel kick in the past couple of years, with original works sprinkled in. However, while I haven’t seen Inside Out 2 yet, it’s been successful at the box office, so Moana 2 may get the same treatment upon release.
This film, and eventually the sequel, was also a fun insight into Polynesian culture. Even though it’s fictional and some details are not wholly accurate, Moana is based on the real Polynesian islands like Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. There’s also the mythology aspect, like Maui being a demigod.
I first watched Moana back in around 2017 and adored the film and its animation. I’m a sucker for stunning animation and it holds up very well, even if it’s just shy of 8 years old. I thought Heihei was a silly addition to the film and I love how much heart it has, like her interactions with her grandmother, even after her eventual passing. Her grandmother served as a pivotal part of her journey and helped her continue even when all hope felt lost, and I thought it was beautiful.
Overall, despite my high praises, I’m unsure of the sequel myself, as I would like to see more original works come out of Disney. However, I won’t totally rule it out just yet and see for myself when the movie comes out. I loved the first movie and maybe the sequel will be even better!
