Vaiana 2 had to be a Disney+ series before being a film, and some supporting characters paid the price.
As one could imagine, Vaiana 2 achieved a gigantic start, even stronger than that of Frozen 2previously an absolute record for the Thanksgiving period. After being one of the most viewed films in streaming history, the first Vaiana paved the way for its sequel to become a huge success.
However, it is worth remembering that Disney had originally planned to make the film into a series for its SVoD platform, entrusted to Disney Vancouver and not the traditional Burbank studio. The transformation of the project also revealed Disney's shameful methods to explode the box office, in addition to being marked by quite visible seams. Vaiana 2 regularly has the air of a mini-series connected in a single block, and its secondary characters are the first to suffer. And even the director can only admit it half-heartedly.
Moana 2: Raiders of the Lost Story Arc
In addition to going on an adventure with the demigod Maui, This time Vaiana is accompanied by a crewcomposed of Loto (a carpenter who is a little too fussy), Kele (a grumpy old farmer) and Moni (a big fan of Maui). Unfortunately, all these beautiful people only have one song to really exist and evolve, before serving as a somewhat easy and dispensable narrative spring.
Interviewed by Discussing Filmone of the directors of Vaiana 2David Derrick Jr., explained that the trio of sailors should have had greater importance at the base. Since the filmmaker was responsible for the project when it was still a series, he himself accompanied this transition.
“When it was a series, we were able to focus in depth on the crew members, to the point where it allowed us to know how they would fit into the feature film. It was almost an opposite approach to what we usually do. [du point de vue de l’écriture, ndlr]. In the series, we spent more time with them, we really got to know them, and to understand the group dynamic to exploit the best comedic moments. When we restructured the film, refocusing on Moana’s journey and her lands, we knew how much to develop them.”
In fact, we would really be curious to know everything that was removed from the original storyline of the Disney+ series, both Vaiana 2 is reduced to a narrative structure that is ultimately quite basic. Watching the film, we feel the potential around the characters of Loto, Kele and Moni, and we would have hoped that they would be much more embodied on screen. Afterwards, it is also possible that Disney keeps its cartridges, since Vaiana 2 has a post-credits scene, which already announces a third part. And like the film has been a hit in French theaters since November 27the studio should confirm the news quickly.
