“Moana 2” was released on Nov. 27, achieving a worldwide weekend box office gross of $389 million and is set to gross $1 billion.
It has been a highly anticipated Disney release since it was announced seven years after the release of the first film, which pulled in a worldwide gross of $687.2 million.
Watching “Moana 2,” one can notice and appreciate the high-quality improvement of the new visuals. This sequel is less focused on the events on the island and more focused on the sea
The story takes place some years after the first movie. Moana now has a sister named Simea. In this movie, Moana takes it upon herself to become a leader and a wayfinder.
The island now plays a larger role in shipbuilding, and this new focus is put to the test when Moana gets the call by her ancestors to discover islands away from her home island.
Moana’s mission is to reach Motofetū and touch the island, but the main story’s antagonist, Nalo, attempts to make it impossible for Moana to get there.
Nalo builds up storms and continues his curse of the waters, even so that Moana loses contact with the ocean.
Moana reconnects with her old partner Maui on an island where he is trapped by Matangi. She frees Maui when he agrees to go on the journey with Moana to reach Motofetū. Maui, Moana, and her crew are faced with the challenge of reaching Motofetū without getting hit by the storm.
There are many references and uses of Polynesian and Pacific Islander culture within this movie. Many of the songs, such as the one sung by Moana’s ancestors, are in Māori, which is native to the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.
The fabric with the various imagery throughout the film is reminiscent of tapa cloth found in Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji.
Moana’s blowing of the conch shell also represents different meanings throughout areas in the Pacific, and in places such as Hawai’i, it can mark the arrival of a new leader.
Moana continues to serve as a figure of cultural representation while also teaching young people how to persevere against all odds.
