The Animated Musical Adventure, “Moana 2,” dives into deeper plots as the sequel to the fan-favorite “Moana,” approaches audiences. 

The movie introduces viewers to a new conflict right from the start: a curse separates people from all islands. A call from Moana’s ancestors brings her to explore the island of Motufetu and destroy the curse. This story provides a pathway for Moana and her crew’s journey through the giant sea. They face many obstacles and walls to climb as they search for the solution to this curse put upon them.

In this sequel, we are introduced to new characters, including Moana’s sister, Simea, voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda. In the movie, we see a close connection between sisters, emphasizing the importance for Moana to return home safely. 

Returning characters Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, and Maui, voiced by Dwayne Johnson,  play the lead roles in the long-awaited sequel. In Moana, viewers saw the dynamic between Maui and Moana shift from foes to forever friends. In Moana 2, audiences see the continued light-hearted friendship, as well as the two actors’ deepened emotions to create a sentimental feel to the characters. 

Head animators Amy Smeed and Daniel Arriaga worked with the animators of Moana 2 to bring scenes, dances, music and characters to life. Using a platform called Maya, a computer application used to design 3D graphics, animators are able to bring hand drawn 2D animations to the screen. 

Additionally, directors Dana Ledoux Miller, David Derrick Jr. and Jason Hand help to produce, cast, and create the sequel feature to this classic movie, though originally presumed to be a series. That’s right, Moana 2 was originally set to be a miniseries, yet directors of the series had decided to change Moana 2 to a cinematic experience in hopes to better fit the lens of Moana. 

Overall, I believe Moana 2 encapsulates the viewers into the whole experience, gives detail and sentiment to each character, and grabs audiences attention throughout the hour and 40 minute long movie. I would rate Moana 2 a ⅘ stars, due to its impeccable writing, lighting, animation, acting, and attention to detail. Yet, I feel that so many people, including myself, enjoyed Moana so much that introducing a new villain and plot almost takes away from the value of the first movie.