The music of “Tulou Tagaloa” echoes in the theater while the sounds of the ocean follow, fans undecided of what this second movie will bring after a not-so-foreshadowing ending in “Moana.”
Excitement has roamed and buzzed all over social media since February, when Disney released the hint of a potential sequel to a fan-favorite princess movie.
As soon as the movie was released, theaters booked faster than ever expected. Disney quickly made over $390 million within a few days of opening.
Even on weekdays, the theaters were filled with people as the movie played over and over.
The story starts off three years after the ending of the first “Moana” movie. Moana is on an island alone, symbolizing her maturity and independence. After sailing back home, Moana’s younger sister, Simea, is intorduced. Warm hearts are filled among the audience, feeling an enlightening mood.
Times have also changed when it comes to Moana’s father, as he encourages her to make the effort to save the ocean and her island. He finds trust in her with her new title as a “Wave Finder.”
The previous “Moana” movie, released in 2016, gained popularity through its adventurous Disney princess theme. The same style was projected in “Moana 2,” with a few new characters and a new opponent.
The scene shifts from uplifting to foreshadowing when Maui is pictured to be under attack by him and Moana’s new opponent, Nalo, a bat-human combination who is called the “Bat Lady.”
She causes this conflict in hopes to stop the spread of unity across the ocean and to keep Moana and Maui from gaining further power.
A heartfelt and sad moment happens when Moana’s grandma appears as an illusion and gives her advice to help her on her journey, as she did in the first movie.
Moana once again boards her boat for a new journey across the sea. In a tougher situation, she and her family decided she would bring members from her island along with those who have been there from the beginning: Hei Hei and Pua.
After a few stops at different islands, Moana reunited with Maui and it was determined that they had to be stronger against the storms of the ocean and to fight what was keeping them from what they wanted.
Moana, just being a human, was not given the powerful abilities that Maui uses as a demigod. Aware of her possibilities, not having strong power did not take away from her dedication.
Quite deserved, she is awoken by Maui at the bottom of the ocean after risking her life with golden demigod markings on her arm. Assuming she is now immortal as Maui is, she returns back to her island and family.
She reunites with her island spreading the news that she broke the curse and brought the oceanic people together.
This story left the audience with a rollercoaster of reactions and many positive reviews. This time, creators foreshadowed a third adventure to be completed and left everyone with excitement of a third time across the ocean.
