Two things are predictable about Disney:

• an E ticket ride will end in or near a giftshop.
• If a movie does well, it will get a sequel.

Moana returns home to find a new challenge. Part of her tribe has been lost at the farthest reaches of the ocean, and as Wayfinder, it is Moana’s task to find the island cursed by eternal storms and bring her people home.

Notable is the introduction of a new member of Moana’s family, a little sister!

Take a look at the trailer and decide if this is something you or your offspring want to see. This one is bound to irritate the anti-Woke crowd. Not only does it feature a bold, brave heroine with brown skin, but it includes (grasp your pearls!) pagan deities and spirits of the dead. Holy Hawaii, Batman.

Moana 2 features most of the voice cast from Moana reprising their roles. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson returns as Maui. Firefly co-star Alan Tudyk is back as Heihei, Moana’s pet rooster. I’m predicting future Disney Legend accolades for both Johnson and Tudyk. New Zealand actress Rachel House, ONZM is back as Grandma Tala, now a spirit. Chloe Auli’i Cravalho, of course returns as the voice of Moana (since starring in the first Moana film (2016) she has appeared in Darby and the Dead as Capri Donahue).

Does Moana 2 look like it might be fun to you? At the cost of theater tickets, is it worth your hard-earned money?

My only complaint is that Dr. Lin-Manual Miranda isn’t back for this movie, but his songwriting colleagues, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa?i are, along with new songwriters Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow (best known for the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical), so Moana 2 should have some good songs.

Moana 2 will be released November 27, 2024.