For Christmas, Disney is taking us into Polynesian legends to experience the continuation of the adventures of Moana who is finally back on the oars after a part that became cult in 2016. Here is our opinion on this superb fantastic adventure which unfortunately lacks substance…
In 2016, Disneyphiles discovered in theaters a new princess ready to brave countless dangers: Vaiana, a daring young girl who embarked on a daring journey to complete the unfinished quest of her Polynesian ancestors, a colorful setting which was, to a large extent, the major strength of a widely acclaimed original creation. On Rotten Tomatoes, the feature film has an average of 96% on the press side and 89% on the spectator side. The box office scores are just as attractive with $687 million earned internationally. Let's now wait to see how its sequel, Vaiana 2, will fare, scheduled to hit theaters this November 27, 2024 for the end-of-year holidays. David G. Derrick Jr. was appointed to direct, author of Five Legends in 2012, alongside Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller. He therefore takes up the torch from the duo Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin), accompanied by formidable scriptwriters, that of Jared Bush, director of Zootopiaand Ledoux Miller.
A visually sumptuous suite
In 2020, Disney originally had other plans for the continuation of Moana's adventures and intended to make a series, before finally favoring the sale of cinema tickets over a business model intended to compete with Netflix. The company's CEO, Bob Iger, says that executives were so impressed by the first images that ” we saw it and knew it deserved a theatrical release ». Visually, this new installment of Vaiana clearly outdoes itself, offering exceptional lighting, water rendering and Homeric shoreline reflection effectsaccompanied by some absolutely divine scenes of contemplation. Eric Goldberg, legendary animator of the first film, is back on duty here and we are also very happy to see his team's work on the two-dimensional tattoo of Maui, on which we see the amusing Mini Maui moving around, a sort of Jiminy Cricket animated in 2D using traditional hand-drawn techniques integrated with computer-generated images. The packaging is therefore sumptuous, but did the material really deserve this treatment in the cinema?
But a sequel that lacks substance
In Vaiana 2, the young heroine, now a teenager, finds the demigod Maui – still both very well played by Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson – three years after their first epics. During one of her visions, the adventurer meets the legendary explorer Tautai Vasa, who tells her about the lost islet of Motufetu, which she will persist in finding. A starting point that the director develops further with these words: “ No matter our age in life, we are always growing and changing. The island of Motunui and the people of Moana are prosperous, but Moana knows they still need to improve. She believes other humans live beyond their island – and when she sees proof, she must go further than any of her ancestors have ever ventured to find the answers to her questions. »
The relationship between Vaiana and Maui has evolved well. They are now true friends who respect each other. And to this duo are added joyful clampins who constitute the new crew of our explorer of the seas. While everyone undeniably brings their unique personality to the boat, it's difficult to find the cast of characters particularly endearing, whether among the veterans or the newcomers. The few new faces at least offer a little freshness to a formula which seems more or less modeled on the first episode: The themes, issues and fears of Moana are significantly similar to what we have already seen.
The best for the future?
Attention, spoiler
Warning, this paragraph includes a spoiler on a plot element.
Did Disney try and fail to make a movie from a handful of episodes of a TV series? Maybe. We will probably have to wait for a third film to get our dose of epic, especially since Moana now has an adorable little sister who is probably waiting to prove herself in turn. On paper, the plot envisions many epic adventures: Moana must undertake an unprecedented journey and risk everything to face Nalo, the god of storms who sealed the fate of the place. However, spectators will never actually meet any notable antagonistic figure, this god of storms reserving his arrival for a third episode announced half-heartedly at the end of an adventure which lacks panache and which only really gains in intensity until during his last act. The trip remains pleasant and will of course delight the youngest and those who are looking for nothing other than a friendly moment at the cinema with the family. The few gags make you smile, when they don't fall into indifference. As for the music, it is once again composer Mark Mancina who is at the helm. If none seems to be able to claim the title of legendary song in the Disney universe, they are nonetheless very pleasant to listen to.
