On November 23, 2016, the Disney movie Moana came out. Moana is a story about finding yourself. In the first movie, Moana was chosen by the ocean to save her island and her people. Demigod, Maui, stole the heart of Te Fiti, which later led to the harm of Moana’s and other people’s islands. Plants were dying, there weren’t enough fish, and the coconuts had rotted and dried out. Moana found the ships of her ancestors and set sail in hopes of finding Maui and restoring the heart of Te Fiti. She sailed long and hard. The ocean had helped her and forced her onto a random land spot in the sea. 

In this spot, she had found Maui and they later set sail, battling monster after monster, but in the end, they defeated the hardest of them all, Te Kā. Te Kā was simply misunderstood. Moana held up Te Fitis’s heart and Te Kā came after her. This was a powerful moment as Moana put Te Fitis’s heart in the center of the spiral in Te Kā’s chest. The molten rock crumbled as Te Fiti revealed herself. In the end, Moana’s island was saved, and the story was over, or so we thought. 

On November 27, 2024, the sequel to Moana was released. Moana’s island was saved; how could the story continue? Though Moana had saved her island in the first movie, there were still more people out there. Moana had a call from her ancestors to unite the people of the ocean. Moana’s ancestor Matai Vasa had tried to join the people of the sea before, but sadly his journey was cut short, and he never returned. 

This movie was filled with more power and passion than the first. You got a taste of the culture through this movie that wasn’t expressed as well in the first, and you could feel the power Moana and her people have in their hearts and souls. This time around, Moana brought a crew with her on her journey to find the island, Motufetu, and unite all of the people of the sea. Moana and her crew fought off new monsters, were surprised by old monsters, and met many new creatures and characters along the way. Don’t worry, Maui, a fan-favorite character, returned to help Moana and her crew find their way to Motufetu. 

This movie was an emotional rollercoaster, with each triumph overcome with power, friendship, and love. Both the movie Moana and its sequel were great representations of the Polynesian culture. Showing their beliefs, prophesies, and power. The Polynesian culture isn’t always represented properly and young boys and girls around the world see themselves through Moana, Maui, and many other characters as well. Moana is considered a Disney Princess, but she is unlike the others. Moana is independent and truly fights for what she wants. Moana serves as a great role model for young people across the globe. Moana 2 helped represent the Polynesian culture by singing powerful, spiritual songs, instead of the usual upbeat songs you see in Disney movies. 

Did Moana and her crew find Motufetu? Did they unite the people of the sea? Is this the end of Moana’s story? Find out now. Moana 2 is officially in theaters as of Wednesday, November 27, 2024. Go get your tickets now. You will NOT regret it.