Moana 2: what have reviews been for the new Disney movie so far?

• Dwayne Johnson is hoping for some success at the box office, with the release of Moana 2 in cinemas from today.
• The sequel comes ahead of the planned live-action ‘Moana’ remake, which is still on the cards at a (much) later date.
• Here’s what Moana’s latest adventure entails and whether the review suggests it’s worth seeing this weekend.

She became the first pacific island Disney princess during her first outing, and now a little bit older and wiser, Moana returns to our screens in the follow up to the 2016 smash hit.

But there is a little bit of confusion around the animated sequel, with Dwayne Johnson once again returning as the demigod Maui – wasn’t this supposed to be a live-action remake instead of a sequel.

Fear not, while ‘Moana 2’ is released in cinemas across the country from today (including Odeon), there is still to be the live-action remake that took everyone by surprise when it was first announced in April 2023.

That film is still scheduled to come out, with pictures currently undertaking the rounds online showing Dwayne Johnson (or The Final Boss for hopeful WWE fans) adorned in a body suit bearing all the distinct, sentient tattoos Maui had in the first film.

Instead, ‘Moana 2’ sees our titular princess embark on a new adventure, steeped once more in pasifika folklore and culture – and hopefully a little bit more of a success at the box office for Johnson, after the poor results of his most recent film, ‘Red One.’

But what exactly is Moana doing on her new adventure, and is the film suitable for all ages, or is it one you’ll have to sit and watch with the little ones in the cinema?

“Three years after her initial voyage, Moana embarks on a new quest to restore a mystical island, Motufetu, which once connected all islands and their bond with the ocean. Guided by a vision from her ancestor, she learns that the storm god Nalo sank Motufetu to seize power, leaving her island vulnerable.

“With a mismatched crew from her home island, Moana journeys across dangerous waters to find and raise the island. Along the way, they encounter fierce enemies and unlikely allies, including the demigod Maui, who has his own history with Nalo.

“As Moana faces great challenges and confronts her deepest fears, she must summon her courage and the strength of her ancestors to save her people and restore the balance of the ocean.”

• Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana
• Dwayne Johnson as Maui
• Temuera Morrison as Tui
• Nicole Scherzinger as Sina
• Rachel House as Tala
• Alan Tudyk as Heihei
• Gerald Ramsey as Tautai Vasa
• Hualālai Chung as Moni
• Rose Matafeo as Loto
• David Fane as Kele
• Awhimai Fraser as Matangi
• Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda as Simea

According to IMDB, Moana 2 has a run time of 100 minutes, or one hour 40 minutes – so expect to be in the cinema for at least two hours including the trailers before the film.

Moana 2 has been rated by the British Board of Film Classification as a PG, much like the first film. The reasons that the BBFC have given for the rating is due to incidences of “mild threat” during moments of the animated feature.

The critics consensus is that despite “riding high on a wave of stunning animation even when its story runs adrift, Moana 2 isn’t as inspired as the original but still delights as a colourful adventure.”

However, the audience score tells a much different story, with that rating currently sitting on 87%.

‘Moana 2’ is in cinemas from today, including Vue and Odeon; the film is one of many out this month that can be viewed with an Odeon myLIMITLESS membership, which allows unlimited access to new releases in Odeon’s nationwide. For more information, visit the myLIMITLESS page.