Review: 'Moana 2' sails back to the big screen, but with less of a splash

When "Moana" debuted in 2016, it was an instant classic. Wordsmith Lin-Manuel Miranda, who had just found overnight success with his rapped-through biographical musical "Hamilton," penned its catchy, but smart original songs, which had children and adults rattling off his lyrics under their breath for years. (It was nominated for two Oscars that year, but lost out to Disney's other film "Zootopia" in the Best Animated Feature Film category and to "La La Land" in the Best Original Song category.) But awards aren't everything, and "Moana" has gone on to remain a favorite among families around the world.

Just like the first, “Moana 2” was timed to drive audiences to the theater over Thanksgiving weekend, a strategy that helped its predecessor gross over $600 million at the box office worldwide. Eight years later, Lin-Manuel Miranda passed on this sequel, as did directors Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall and Chris Williams. Luckily, Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne The Rock Johnson revisit their roles as Moana and the rascal demigod Maui for a return to the ocean that gets caught up in a few undercurrents and loses the wave, but, like most trips to the beach with kids, involves enough roughing around in the sand and the distraction of exotic sea creatures to keep young adventurers entertained.

And the film's imagery is quite fantastical, like the emotional neon-green blob fish kept as a pet by the Kokamora, a tribe of ingenious, antagonistic coconut creatures; they use its various secretions as both the poison and the antidote for incapacitating their enemies. Or an island-sized clam that acts as a portal to a mystical realm where Maui is kept hostage by a mysterious bat goddess named Matangi (Awhimai Fraser). Perhaps that's putting the sail before the boat, because to mention Matangi must first require explaining the film's overarching villain, Nalo, a nefarious storm god whose scheme to control mortals leads him to sinking the mystical island of Motufetu. By submerging it to the ocean's depths, Nalo controls the major waterways of Oceania and disconnects the many people scattered across the sea from one another. Nalo is not a person or even a being personified with some form or shape, but a scary name with an even scarier reputation that appears in the film's big showdown as a series of lightning and tornadoes, a letdown and visually unimpressive form.

Moana and her home island Motunui are thriving after she returned the heart to Te Fiti the last time we checked in on the daughter of the chieftain, but all is not completely well. In a dramatic vision, she has been visited by her wayfarer ancestor Tautai Vasa and the fate of her people will reside on Moana's shoulders once more. With the prophetic warning, Moana now has an answer as to why her hunt for other tribes has perpetually come up short. Equipped with a local craftswoman Loto (Rose Matafeo), Maui fanboy and record keeper Moni (Hualalai Chung), and curmudgeonly farmer Kele (David Fane), Moana embarks on a journey to do the impossible: raise Montufetu and release Nalo's curse in their waters.

Her animal sidekicks, Pua the pig and Heihei the rooster, are back as well, fan favorites in most households, though their utility is diluted by the introduction of these new characters aiding in her quest. Once again, Moana is a Disney Princess worthy of role model status to legions of young, impressionable viewers. But that does not mean this installment is as enthralling as the original. In fact, her mission is a patchwork of well-meaning subplots that don't flow from one to the other as eloquently as they did in the first. The film is tied together with original songs that don't pack the same punch as Miranda's lyrical genius. The original music by Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear and Opetaia Foa'i certainly do not hinder the film, but they had a tall order, following up such a beloved soundtrack.

There is significant talk of death, in relation to her ancestors who have passed, to Moana risking her own life by going out to sea in an emotional scene with her baby sister, and in the final showdown, when, for a moment, it looks as if our heroine may have died. There are significant moments of peril and quite a bit of action that are counterbalanced with enough levity to not make this film feel too imbalanced. The kids are unlikely to notice the hiccups in plot or the goofy reveal, but parents won't be as happy to return to the sea.

"Moana 2" is in theaters now.