NEW YORK (OSV News) – The high-spirited Oceanaian princess who gave her name to a 2016 animated feature returns for further adventures in “Moana 2” (Disney).
Like its predecessor, the new arrival is free of the kind of content that usually restricts the appropriate audience for a film. But it also follows the original in incorporating notions at variance with a Judeo-Christian worldview, making it a doubtful choice for youngsters.
This time out, skilled navigator Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) aims to journey from her home island of Motunui to a long-lost, legendary isle called Motufetu. The rediscovery of Motufetu, we’re told, would enable all the inhabitants of the region to conquer the distances separating their various homelands and come together in unity.
Moana is once again aided on her quest by much-tattooed, shape-shifting demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson). Given that the crew she’s assembled for her expedition includes Pua, an affectionate but timorous pig, and Heihei, a twitchy, perpetually bewildered chicken, Moana may need all the help she can get.
Moana’s trio of human fellow travelers have their limitations as well. Thus Kele (voice of David Fane) is a gruff farmer prone to seasickness, Loto (voice of Rose Matafeo) is a hyper-creative but easily distracted ship designer while historian Moni (voice of Hualalai Chung), although highly knowledgeable about local lore, is also a naive fanboy for whom the thought of meeting his idol Maui is overwhelming.
Directed by co-writer Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand and David G. Derrick Jr., this lively and eye-pleasing musical is family-friendly in most respects — some material that might frighten the youngest viewers notwithstanding. Yet Miller and Jared Bush’s screenplay is full of the same concepts derived from indigenous mythology that were prominent in the previous movie.
Moana, for instance, can communicate with the sea, which is here anthropomorphized sufficiently to give her the occasional high-five. And Moana’s deceased maternal grandmother, Tala (voice of Rachel House), is among the revered ancestors who appear to the now young-adult heroine, having taken on the post-mortem shape of a manta ray.
The parents of impressionable kids may be concerned by the degree to which these ideas depart from revealed truth. As for older teens, they’ll likely be proof against this aspect of the proceedings, especially if they’ve been well catechized.
The film contains potentially scary scenes of action and peril, nonscriptural religious ideas and practices as well as a few childish gross-out visuals. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
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