The animated film “Moana 2” is currently in theaters. What do the first spectators think of the sequel to the Disney adventure film?
Released in cinemas this Wednesday, November 27, Vaiana 2 is firmly at the top of the French box office on its first day in cinemas with 456,273 admissions. This is the best start of 2024 (excluding previews). A success announced for the continuation of the adventures of children's favorite Disney heroine.
In the feature film, Moana undertakes a journey that will take her to the dangerous waters located at the edge of the seas of the Pacific Islands. With the help of Maui, a whole new crew, and her faithful pets Pua and Heihei, Moana will attempt to find the island of Motufetū, which centuries ago was a land for explorers to gather . Until the day when Nalo – the god of storms who rejected all ideas of human brotherhood – caused the island to sink to the bottom of the ocean, forever cursing the place and making all the paths that led to it disappear.
But what do early viewers think of the new Disney film? Are the reviews as good as for the first part?
At the time of writing, Moana 2 has an average viewer rating of 3.6 out of 5 based on 191 ratings and 44 reviews. A rating below that of the 2016 film rated 4.2 stars out of 5 by AlloCiné spectators. For comparison, Vice-Versa 2, released last June and became the most profitable animated film of all time, is rated 4 stars out of 5 by AlloCiné spectators.
A successful sequel
Spectators appreciate the visual quality and animation as well as the emotion that emerges from this family adventure. Nearly 43% of spectators consider the film to be a successful, touching and visually magnificent sequel.
So for the futurist, it is a “Very good film, on the same level as the first. The scenes are very beautiful and poetic, the story is gripping and captivating, the new characters are very endearing, and the animals/secondary characters are very well written. The songs are beautiful, haunting and uplifting.”
Tiphaine Guietry writes: “I have just come out of the session and I still have tears in my eyes. The Disney magic is at work again for our greatest pleasure!! Visually it is magnificent and this second part is a worthy sequel to the first opus. I I found the songs very beautiful and a very beautiful story. The children were delighted as was I. I highly recommend it this holiday season.”
For Tomamartins, “This film is just incredible, magnificent landscapes. It holds up to the story of the first. Be careful, stay until the end after the credits you will get a little surprise.”
Océane B and her daughter are delighted : “Beautiful and moving from start to finish. My 5-year-old daughter loved it, and so did I. Only negative criticism: it doesn't last long enough. There could be more details, but it's still a film for children, let us not forget.”
Rudy M rates the film 4 stars: “A very good sequel which takes up the classics of the first opus and nevertheless manages to reinvent itself! Small downside: the magic of discovering the characters and settings no longer works, hence the very good and not excellent.”
Finally for JulietteM it is “A sequel in line with the first film that I loved. Vaiana continues her exploration with a new adventure. What a pleasure to find her again, more mature and without the questions of the first film. No repetitions here, even if the scenario is a bit expected. The songs are worse than the first except for the credits. A very good Disney is a pleasure!”
A storyline that lacks depth
And the scenario is precisely one of the weak points of the feature film. 23% of comments criticize the scenario for its lack of depth and innovation. Like Alexis B who writes: “Well, we clearly feel that this was not originally supposed to become a film. This sequel really falls short of the first, which was truly phenomenal for me.
The change of composers and director is greatly felt, and the story has fallen into a much too childish register, unlike the first, which was less 'baby'.
Apart from the absolutely magnificent visual aspects, the synopsis is not surprising, and neither is the 'villain' of the story. We're left wanting too much, because the plot seemed promising, but in the end, it falls flat. I'm really mixed about this sequel. A mini-series, as initially envisaged, would have been much more suitable.“
For the SFC Internet user by Seen, Vaiana 2 is “a fun, colorful, funny adventure, but above all with no downtime. The film goes at 200 miles per hour. Everything comes together, we don't have time to get bored. But in the end, the scenario is very simplistic and even a little empty. The music is excellent, it stays in your head. I preferred Vice Versa 2.”
Renaud Fontaine adds: “A good film despite a cruel lack of issues and a predictable storyline. Visually magnificent, with a lot of attention to detail and very engaging music that gives the story a second wind.”
Finally, Shawn777 from Club AlloCiné writes: “I might as well say it right away, I didn't keep a lasting memory of “Vaiana”, finding it a little too classic. If I was curious to discover this sequel, I was not particularly confident, without having any preconceptions. But unfortunately we are faced with an easy sequel which has, ultimately, too little interest.
If the heroine had to put a stone back in place to save nature in the first film (basically), here she must pull an island out of the water to defeat a curse (still basically). Yes, it's pretty, the animation is still excellent, the dialogues are good, as is the humor (although a little childish at times but Disney has always aimed more towards children than Pixar which tries to 'encompass a much wider audience), but above all the songs are particularly successful.
But it is a diagram seen and reviewed; we feel that Disney clearly no longer dares to take any risks by always serving the same soup to bring ever more spectators to the theaters. Vaiana 2 is therefore a sequel which is only of financial interest for the firm.”
In conclusion
In conclusion, the first spectators are delighted to find Vaiana and her colorful universe. The majority of Internet users who have written a review find that it is a successful sequel, whether visually, in terms of action or emotion, and that this new adventure is captivating.
On the other hand, for others, the scenario lacks depth and it is an “easy sequel”, without any real innovation. Some deplore a predictable and overly simplistic story, which fails to captivate as much as the first film. Despite these criticisms, the magic of Disney still works.
Vaiana 2 can be seen at the cinema, don't hesitate to leave a review when you've seen it!