Waves roll through the theatre and animals come to life as enthusiastic viewers rush to the theatres to watch their favorite wayfinder’s next adventure and the backstory behind one of Disney’s most classic characters. On November 21st, “Moana 2” was released to anticipatory critics, kids, and Disney adults alike, but only less than a month later “Mufasa” was also released into theatres.
The two films were both highly anticipated and critics were quick to leave their mark once the word was out that Lin Manuel Miranda wrote the music for “Mufasa”, but the directors of “Moana 2” had brought in a new team for the story’s music.
“Moana 2” was directed by David Derrick Jr, Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller and the music was written by both Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. The new story follows Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) on her adventure to find new tribes, but is only met with disappointment when she learns a vengeful god named Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i) has separated everyone and the only way to reconnect them is by raising the sunken island Motufetu. She must overcome the demigoddess Matangi (Awhimai Fraser) with the help of a farmer (David Fane), a shipbuilder (Rose Matafeo), and a historian (Hualalai Chung) and eventually reunite with Maui (Dwayne Johnson) for her expedition.
While the first movie was quickly paced, the sequel spends the first portion establishing Moana’s new importance in her community and gathering a unique crew for her adventure. The movie then moves into the newfound fumbles of Moana and her gang, ranging between slapstick and extremely cringeworthy. The film picks up in the second half largely because Maui and Moana have been reunited, which invigorates the narrative, and helps move the story along.
The plot seemed slightly “rinse and repeat” from the first movie but with fewer obstacles and more of a dragging start and rushed end. After Moana’s conflict with Matangi, she was able to utilize a shortcut and arrive at the end of the movie within two minutes. While the plot has weakened, Cravalho has expanded her acting and vocal ability greatly, helping to bring in an even more vivid version of Moana despite the production’s limitations. The script also brings in Fane’s, Matafeo’s, and Chung’s characters which have proven to be loveable editions, with a sweet historian, energetic shipbuilder, and comedic farmer.
The music was lacking everything remarkable about the first movie’s soundtrack. Nothing was quite memorable and instead of holding artistic symbolism, the majority of the songs were simply, plot with boring tunes in the background. The closest the audience got to satisfaction was during “Get Lost”, which was not only short-lived but was quickly moved away from.
“Mufasa” was directed by Barry Jenkins and the music was written by Lin Manuel Miranda. The story is about King Mufasa’s life before the classic movie “The Lion King” which follows his son Simba. The film starts with the heartbreaking separation of baby Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) from his parents during a flood. After this, he joins a new pride due to the encouragement from Queen Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) and her cub Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). The pride’s king Obasi (Lennie James) is opposed to outsiders and demands that Mufasa be raised with the females. We see Mufasa and Taka grow up together as brothers while learning different skills and lessons about leadership and hunting. Later in the film, these skills are shown in contrast when the pride is called to fight against the outsiders and the two brothers must go on a long adventure to protect each other and their futures. Along their journey, they meet notable characters such as Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), Rafiki (John Kani), and Zazu (Preston Nyman).
The movie maintains a quick pace throughout the entirety of the movie, while also leaving space to get to know the new and familiar characters alike. But the story feels held back by the “live-action” angle Disney so commonly follows now. The style is realistic animation, which is not only not live action, but the opposite of what fans are asking for. The new style lacks the previous magic found in the original Disney animation and feels out of place for the prequel to a classic story like “The Lion King”
But on the whole, I would describe the movie as a majestic return to the Pride Lands, the movie serves as both a heartfelt homage to the beloved franchise and a compelling addition to its legacy. I felt the introduction of the original movie’s characters was done masterfully, as well as the inclusion of Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). The quick detours to the current day were wonderful and gave the audience closure to the movie and the universe of “The Lion King” on the whole.
The music, featuring a blend of Hans Zimmer’s iconic motifs and new compositions by Lin-Manuel Miranda strikes the perfect balance between nostalgia and innovation. The songs and score evoke the grandeur and emotional depth of the original, leaving a lasting impression. Lin-Manuel Miranda has crafted another amazing album, that will be stuck in people’s heads, long past their first watch.
While the animation style of “Moana 2” was much more satisfactory than the realistic animation that was used for “Mufasa”. “Moana 2” was lacking in plot and was only redeemed by the old and new lovable characters. It was definitely worth a watch since they are preparing to release a third Moana movie, but I would not go ito it with high expectations.
On the whole, I greatly enjoyed “Mufasa” more than “Moana 2”. The movie was extremely entertaining and nostalgic, while also being aided by the artistic abilities of Lin-Manuel Miranda.
