Eight years after she first sailed into our collective hearts, Moana is back in the simply titled new feature, Moana 2. Originally slated as a miniseries for Disney+, someone at Walt Disney Studios decided it would be better to let people enjoy Moana on the big screen again (and bring in a spare bazillion dollars or so in the process). For a marquee IP like this one, that was the right move.

Moana 2 picks up at least five years after the events of the first film, as Moana’s now visibly aged parents have had another child. Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), a child seemingly concocted in a cuteness lab, is Moana’s shadow…when she’s at home. Moana is now the tribe’s chief wayfinder, and her goal is to find other tribes on other islands with which to connect. Trouble is, there are none.

She’s given a new quest by her ancestors in a vision – find a lost, cursed island that once served as a hub for the various wayfinding peoples of Oceania. She packs a much larger boat with both Pua and Hei Hei, as well as a crew of new characters: historian Moni (Hualālai Chung), engineering whiz Loto (Rose Matafeo), and farmer Kele (David Fane). Along the way they meet up with familiar faces from the first film like Maui, a horde of Kakamora, and an angry god guarding a cursed island. This time it’s just a different angry god and a different island.

That’s the only real problem with Moana 2: it’s nothing new. There are some fresh faces tagging along, some new songs (but not from Lin-Manuel Miranda – Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear fill that void), and Moana’s outfit has changed a bit. But overall, it’s a retread of the first film. Moana must save her people by going on an impossible voyage with Maui and breaking a god’s curse on an important mystical island. Does it work? Sure! It’s fun! Is it a truly great sequel though?

The bones of the story and the mid-credits scene hint at a long line of Moana stories to come, be they delivered via cinema or streaming. Auli’i Cravalho proves again that she was a big discovery and brings conviction to every word and note. Maui is probably the most three dimensional character Dwayne Johnson has ever played on screen, and he continues to deliver. Newcomer Awhimai Fraser wows as Matangi, with one of the film’s best new songs, “Get Lost.”

Kids who want more Moana will be thrilled to get just that. There’s enough depth to keep parents tuned in, but there’s no ground being broken here. None of the characters experience any real evolution from the first film, they’re just faced with a similar set of tasks without the baggage of an origin story. In fact, that’s why the film felt like a Marvel sequel (and the mid-credits scene reinforced that). Moana, the super hero, has been established and now she’s doing her super hero things.

If your kids are still a little young to defy gravity with Wicked, Moana 2 is a solid choice for a holiday trip to the movie theater. Just know that you’re going in for comfort food and not a new, dazzling dish.

See it for Yourself!

MOANA 2 makes a splash in theaters November 27, 2024. See it at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and catch Moana live on stage before each showing!

MORE INFO: MOANA 2 early screenings, fan events, special extras at El Capitan Theater