Moana 2

Story

Centuries ago, all of Oceania was connected by the currents that flowed to the legendary island of Motufetu – a place where human communities could come together to learn from each other and to trade – but the power-hungry God Nalo (voice of Tofiga Fepulea’i) sank the island to the bottom of the sea in an effort to keep the people apart, weaken the individual cultures and ultimately destroy them all.

Long ago, an ancient ‘wayfinder’ wanted to reconnect his people, so he set out to find the island but never returned. Meanwhile, Demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) has made Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) the next wayfinder and, as she accepts her new role, she is struck by lightning and receives a visit from the previous wayfinder with instructions on what she must do to reunite the oceanic cultures and save her people.

Following a light in the sky, Moana and her small crew: an elderly farmer named Kele (voice of David Fane), a shipwright and inventor called Loto (voice of Rose Matafeo) and a strong warrior named Moni (voice of Hualalei Chung), set off to find the fabled island.

When they are stopped by a gang of wild coconuts and then trapped in a giant clam, they encounter Maui who has been taken prisoner by a witch called Matangi (voice of Awhimai Fraser). With help from Matangi, Moana and Maui set off once again to find Motufetu, to raise the island, and to brave the storm that will free them all.

Themes

Forced segregation; sacrifice; isolation; manipulation and power at all costs

Violence

Moana 2 has some violence. For example:

Moana, a pig and a chicken slide off a clifftop on a rock and crash down through the jungle. A paddle hits Moana on the head as she lands.
A villager threatens to eat Moana’s chicken.
Maui tries to slice Matangi with his hook.
Moana is hit by a bolt of lightning through the roof of a hut. She’s knocked to the ground but is soon shown to be OK.
A chicken is nearly crushed with a log.
Maui is held prisoner in a strong net made of fish bones.
A hatchet knocks into a mast, nearly striking a pig.
A character is hit with a rudder.
A pig is nearly eaten by a shark who bites the deck of Moana’s boat.
There’s mention of a farmer who was murdered by coconuts.
Moana is shot at by wild coconuts. She fights back with her oar.
Moana and her whole crew are shot repeatedly with little darts containing neurotoxins. She and her crew become paralysed.
Moana and her crew try to shoot spears with neurotoxins into a giant clam that is trying to trap them.
A wild coconut stabs the clam with a spear.
A creepy creature gets stabbed with a poison dart. It explodes some sort of acid substance and causes Moana’s crew to fall through the floor. Moni lands on Maui’s head.
Moana falls off a waterfall.
Maui tells Moana and her crew that they’re all going to die.
Sea monsters attack Moana’s boat. Moni is knocked overboard and it looks like he has been eaten. Maui saves him.
Moana and another character are about to be eaten by sea monsters.
Maui cuts through the tornados that Nalo is sending towards Moana and her crew.
Nalo hits Maui with lightning and gets him to drop the island before Maui can bring it to the surface. There’s a huge explosion and Maui is hit so hard that his tattoos disappear. As Maui falls into the ocean Moana’s boat is overturned.
Moana swims down to try to touch the island and is hit by a lightning bolt just as her hand grazes the surface. She is knocked unconscious and is left floating in the water where it looks like she has drowned.
During the end credits, a fish sneezes neurotoxin and paralyses a bunch of wild coconuts, a crab is zapped by lightning and Nalo imprisons Matangi, blaming her for Moana’s success.

Sexual references

Moana 2 has some sexual references. For example:

Maui refers to the leaves around his waist and says, ‘I have been rockin’ leaves on my cheeks for a thousand years.’
When Maui says something insensitive to Moana, one of his tattoos pulls on his nipple. Maui tells the tattoo not to give him purple nipples.
When Moana plants both palms on Maui’s chest she quickly says, ‘That was awkward.’ Moni creates a poster with the image of her hands on his chest.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Moana 2 has some substance use. For example, during 2 different ceremonies, it appears that characters are consuming kava, a mildly narcotic and sedative beverage commonly served in the islands.

Nudity and sexual activity

Moana 2 has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, Maui’s bare chest is consistently exposed, though it’s generally covered in tattoos.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in Moana 2.

Coarse language

Moana 2 has some coarse language. For example, ‘sucker’ and ‘wind bag’. Other insults include ‘cheater’ and ‘coward’. Crude humour includes a reference to a butt dial, and Maui making farting noises with his armpit.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Moana 2 is a musical, fantasy adventure, featuring original cast members in the lead roles, many special effects and the top-notch animations we’ve come to expect from Disney Studios. The movie also shares some important messages about taking chances in order to succeed and looking for alternative and creative solutions to problems. Moana 2 is best suited to viewers aged 6 years or older.

These are the main messages from Moana 2:

Communities need different cultures and diverse people in order to survive.
We need to work together to find creative solutions to common problems.

Values in Moana 2 that you could reinforce with your children are courage, teamwork, creativity, determination and compassion.

Moana 2 could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of working together and learning from one another instead of keeping cultures and communities separate or isolated.