Moana 2 fails to live up to original, critics say

The newspaper’s critic Peter Bradshaw described it as “a vacuum-packed slice of digital IP content, a perky ChatGPT iteration of love, laughter and belonging”.

“It is all inoffensive enough, but weirdly lacking in anything genuinely passionate or heartfelt, all managed with frictionless smoothness and algorithmic efficiency,” he wrote.

The original story of an adventurous Polynesian girl who sets sail on a mission to save her people was a box office hit eight years ago.

Moana 2 reunites its titular star, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, and Dwayne Johnson’s demigod Maui, on a new voyage to save other islanders oppressed by the evil god Nalo.

They are joined by a crew of “unlikely seafarers”, as Disney put it – namely the wide-eyed Moni (Hualālai Chung), brat Loto (Rose Matafeo) and grumpy farmer Kele (David Fane).