“Moana 2”: Slime showers for demigod Maui

Before Dwayne Johnson flexes his muscles as the demigod Maui in the flesh, we only get to hear his voice again, because the real version of “Vaina” can only expect a cinema release in the summer of 2026. The fact that it now continues animatedly is mainly due to the adventurous title girl, who is ready for a new South Sea fairytale musical, sets sail again and exchanges fist bumps with her water friend. Of course, she sings courageously again in Auliʻi Cravalho's original voice, and at least two of the songs (Moana's “Beyond” and Maui's “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?”) could help Disney win the next Oscar.

Mission: Sunken Island

Moana – or Moana, as she is actually called in English – receives a visit from the spirit world: the ancestors themselves have a mission for their descendant. She is tasked with finding a mysterious sunken island that is plagued by a thunderstorm curse. Only when this country rises above sea level again will all the peoples of Oceania come together and move towards a better future. However, if they remain separated from each other, they are doomed.

A huge task that the young chief's daughter is entrusted with. The great journey into the unknown is impossible to carry out alone and so Moana recruits a crew of three: a grumpy old farmer, a hyperactive girl full of ingenuity and the carpet-weaving Maui fan Moni. Animal support is also called for, because of course the nice house pig Pua and the crazy chicken Heihei with the crazy eyes are on board again.

Blenny and Coconut Pirates

It takes some time until Moana and Maui finally meet, because the demigod is initially dangling from the ceiling of a cave in a rather awkward position, trying to reach his magical hook and is repeatedly showered with fountains of slime. Until they are freed, Team Moana has a lot to do and slides from one adventure to the next. We are not only presented with sea landscapes of mystical beauty, but above all a whole collection of strange creatures.

There is a kind of carnivorous plant in the shape of an opening mountain, as well as a blue tube monster with razor-sharp teeth; also a green blenny that secretes a special snot and lots of bats in the realm of the underworld goddess Matangi. Because almost all of the characters from the first part appear again, the coconut pirates shouldn't be missing either, who suddenly turn out to be lovable little daredevils and actually just want to go home (nobody should get too close to their poison-soaked arrows).

Story with length and potential for sequels

But you shouldn't let the external wealth of events deceive you: all the action here can't hide the fact that the story often stalls and is artificially drawn out; In particular, the finale after finding the island was unnecessarily delayed. Unfortunately, this sequel no longer has the charm and freshness of the original, but that doesn't stop the makers from announcing another part quite directly in a mid-credit scene. After all, Viana recently got a real upgrade and can't wait to show us what she can do now.

3 out of 5 googly chicken eyes.