Its tough to take a movie seriously when it doesnt follow its own advice. InMoana 2, the title character gets an important assist from a mysterious sea witch namedMatangi. The witch Witch? Sorceress? Mutant bat lady? The filmleaves this unclear tells Moana that if she wants to truly earn the title of wayfinder, she will need to stop playing it safe. After all, she reasons, how can you get somewhere thats not on any map if you dont get a little lost?Soundguidance thatMoana 2resolutelyignores. This is a playing-it-safe sequel through and through, one that follows the path charted by its popular predecessor every step of the way. Brave island voyager Moana (voiced again byAulii Cravalho) sets off on a journey far across the ocean in order to confront a mystical adversary and break a magic curse, with an assist from a shape-changing demigod named Maui (Dwayne Johnson)and occasional breaks for songs that could be described as South Pacificmeets the actual South Pacific. Technically, the songs are different this time and, somewhat fatally, they are nowhere near as good as theones in the firstMoana but otherwise, the song remains the same.Moana 2Disneyloading...READ MORE: The Worst Disney Live-Action RemakesThevariations between the two movies are almost entirely cosmetic, although instead of a two-hander between Moana and Maui on the open sea, the two leads spend the first half of Moana 2on separate quests. While Maui mixes it up with Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), Moana and a whole crew of new sidekicks (includinga quirky engineer voiced by Rose Matafeoand a grouchy farmer played by David Fane) sail for a lost island sunk to the bottom of the ocean by an angry god named Nalo.This island used to servethe central hubof a whole civilization of sailors from across the globe. Without it, these various tribes were scattered across the ocean. After a prophetic vision from one of her ancestors, Moana seeks to restore the island and reconnect these disparate people once more.Thatsa much less personal (and far less engaging) set of stakes than the originalMoana, where the title character fought to save herhome from famine and possible extinction. Mauis role in Moana 2 is even more vague; why he cares about this missing island and its angry god, or why hesin conflictwith Matangiwere never clear throughout the film, at least to me.MOANA 2Disneyloading...Mauisfeelings about Moana also fluctuateconstantly throughout the sequel. So does the quality ofMoana 2s songs. Moanasmusical numbers were its greatest strength;Moana 2s musical numbers are its biggest weakness. The first film had the groovy Shiny, the toe-tapping Where You Are,and the soaring anthem How Far Ill Go.Moana 2 includes tracks meant to fit into each of those categories, but none are catchy or memorable.Maui fares the worst in this regard. His Youre Welcome fromMoanawas a show-stopping delight. His new tune, Can I Get a Chee Hoo? is an inspirational ditty with raps and chants andeye-rollinglyrics like Come on-a Moana / Come get your destiny. Few sequels have ever missedan absent creatoras much as this movie misses Lin-Manuel Miranda, who contributed toMoana 1s soundtrack but did not return for the sequel. (The new batch of songs is by Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Opetaia Foai, and Mark Mancina.)Without the musical heart or stirring adventure of the first movie,Moana 2 relies on a surprising amount of gross-out humor and meta jokes to keep audiences engaged. There are armpit fart gags, and regular showers of a assorted purple goos and green slimes, pluspop culture references so out of place inthe context of an ancient water-bound civilization that thescreenplay actually makes secondary jokes about their incongruity. (After one character, quips about making a butt dial, they quickly add That will make sense in 2,000 years! This character not only doesnt have a phone they dont have pockets.)Some of the banter lands once Moana and Maui finally reunite they reestablishsome of their buddy comedychemistry from the first movie but a lot ofthe wisecrackswreak of desperation.MOANA 2Disneyloading...The true test of a kids movie comes not on the first viewing but on the tenth. Kids love to watchfilmsendlessly; they find comfort in their familiar patterns and characters. By that measure,Moana is one of Disneys best 21st century films; it holds up very well to repeatairings thanks to its amazing soundtrack, colorful adventures, and heartwarming message about persistence, bravery, and exploration. Its one of the few films I never got tired of no matter how many times my daughters demanded to revisit it. Moana 2, on the other hand, played it so safe itAdditional Thoughts:-This film was originally developed as a series for Disney+, then reworked into a feature. While it does present a fairly straightforward narrative, Mauis role is so superfluous that it did make me wonder whether his character was not originally in the TV series version (or perhaps only heldasmall supporting role), and when Disney decreedMoanathe show would now beMoana 2, his part had to be beefed up with a lot of unjustified screen time. At the very least, he feels shoehorned into a story that doesnt really need him.-Matangi does at least look cool, and sheslithers and swoops around with the most visuallydynamic character animation inMoana 2. Unfortunately, her role is deeply muddled. Is she a villain? A victim? Does she hate Maui and Moana or want to help them? The movie leaves all of thatunexplained in order to set up a potential sequel. Ive no doubt the films box office total will justify its production. But after the extremely uneven quality of Moana 2,Im going to be a lot less excited to see it.RATING: 5/10Get our free mobile appThe Weirdest Animated Movies Of All TimeThese trippy and strange cartoons are decidedly not for kids.Gallery Credit: Claire Epting