‘Moana 2’ and ‘Frozen II’ Have the Same Fatal Flaw

Moana 2 is one of the biggest hits of 2024. That shouldn’t be shocking, considering Moana is the most watched movie on Disney+, but it certainly is a leap to see how big the franchise has grown where it is seemingly going toe to toe in terms of popularity and box office as Frozen and its sequel Frozen II did. Moana 2 is performing on pace with Frozen II, and fans are watching to see if it can overtake the 2019’s $1.4 billion worldwide box office.

Besides box office successes, Frozen II and Moana 2 have a great deal in common. Both are sequels to modern Walt Disney Animation Studios hits that launched popular new brands for Disney. They both occur three years after the original film and model their stories after an RPG, with the characters fitting specific archetypes. Moana 2 and Frozen II also set up a grand mythology to be explored in sequels.

Moana 2 and Frozen II also feature big lead songs that subvert the expectations of the classic ‘I Want’ song, tackling the idea of maturity and growing up that hint at sequels that will be darker than their predecessors as they tackle the weight of responsibility and the risk that come with being older. However, both movies also seemingly don’t live up to the promise that their songs set up and, therefore, come below their more substantial first installments.

Moana 2 & Frozen II Deal With the Characters Growing Up

One fascinating element that both Moana 2 and Frozen II tackle is that the lead characters have grown up. With three years separating Moana 2 and Frozen II from the events of their predecessors, the characters in the films have matured. This matches the target demographic, who were likely young kids when their first installments were released. They are now likely teenagers or young adults, as Frozen II arrived in theaters six years after Frozen and Moana 2 hit theaters eight years after Moana. Because of this, when Moana and Elsa are met with the call to adventure, there is more hesitation than in their youth, which can be heard in one key song from each film.

Moana 2’s “Beyond” and Frozen II’s “Into the Unknown” are the film’s “I Want” songs, a musical number in a Broadway play that became linked to the Disney Renaissance movies where a character sings about how they are unsatisfied with their current life, and something they are searching for. Frozen’s “Let it Go” and Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” were “I Want” songs that were compared heavily, partially down to both featuring the word ‘go’ in their titles, so it is fitting that their sequels would have similar complementary songs.

Yet what is fascinating about “Beyond” and “Into the Unknown” is how the two songs subvert the expectations of what the “I Want” songs are supposed to do. “Beyond” and “Into the Unknown” are songs about the characters not being unhappy with their current life but worried about losing the lives they are happy with. They could almost be called “I Defy” songs, as they both deal with heroes arguing with themselves if this is something they want. The characters match the mindset of their target audience, as children who grew up with the original entries are now older and likely facing more responsibilities, and they are now old enough to be aware of how much they could lose.

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The Songs Set Up Higher Dramatic Stakes

Both “Beyond” and “Into the Unknown” see the lead character (Moana/Elsa) being called by a mysterious voice (The Ancestors/Spirits) into a new adventure. Elsa addresses the call to adventure while also explicitly stating that she shouldn’t want or need more; she got the acceptance she sought in the first film. She is happy with the life she has and could potentially lose it:

“You’re not a voice, you’re just a ringing in my ear/And if I heard you, which I don’t, I’m spoken for I fear/Everyone I’ve ever loved is here within these walls/I’m sorry, secret siren but I’m blocking out your calls/I’ve had my adventure, I don’t need something new/I’m afraid of what I’m risking if I follow you”

It sounds similar to “Beyond,” where Moana sings about the duty her ancestors have put upon her. She is being called by fate and destiny, but it is an adventure that will take her far from her family. Whereas the younger Moana called for adventure and to escape her island, now she will be drawn further into the ocean than she has even gone and might never see her family again.

“But this is bigger than before/Winds have changed, tides turn me far away from shore/What waits for me/Forever far from home/From everything/And everyone I’ve ever known?…Will I losе myself between/My home and what’s unknown?/If I go bеyond/Leaving all I love behind…There is destiny in motion/And it’s only just begun/Now will this life I’ve worked so hard for come undone?/They’re calling me/I must reply/But if I leave/How could I ever say goodbye?”

Both Moana and Elsa have grown up since their first entry and now have new responsibilities. They both got their happy endings, so what comes after? In many ways, both “Beyond” and “Into the Unknown” are not only responses to the “I Want” song, but also commentaries on the nature of sequels. They both acknowledge the original character journey these heroes went on, and now the cost of a new adventure (a sequel) means more significant risk.

Yet, while both Moana and Elsa are hesitant, they are still drawn to the adventure. Elsa needs to know more about herself and discover the secrets of who she is due to a sense inside her that she is not entirely complete. Moana is drawn by a desire to help others, even if it comes at a great cost to her. Both characters might initially deny the call, but they warmly accept it by the time the song wraps up. This seems to suggest that both Moana 2 and Frozen II will be sequels exploring the characters’ ramifications for their choices to continue with the adventure. Sadly, neither sequel has lived up to this setup.

Neither ‘Moana 2’ nor ‘Frozen II’ Commit to the Promise Their Songs Set Up

Both “Beyond” and “Into the Unkown” suggest that the characters will be sent on journeys with more significant risks than before, one where they will have to lose something important to them. Despite both songs suggesting more mature stories, ones where heroes might be faced with some loss, neither film follows through with this. If anything, both films double down on wrapping up the stories nicely in a way that fails to live up to their songs.

Moana 2 and Frozen II feature a beloved supporting character suffering a significant loss. Maui seemingly loses his demi-god powers in the climax of Moana 2 and Frozen II, featuring the “death” of Olaf in a rather dramatic scene. Yet both films undo these big dramatic moments, with Maui getting his tattoos back mere minutes after he lost them, while the film’s conclusion resurrects Olaf. Instead of having these characters’ actions have consequences, everything is seemingly back to normal by the film’s end.

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Then there are Moana and Elsa, who are both given power upgrades after the characters have died. Moana dies after being struck by a lightning bolt cast by the god Nalo. She is then resurrected by her ancestors and granted the status of demigoddess. In Frozen II, Elsa is frozen solid before later thawing and being revealed as the fifth elemental spirit, and she and her sister Anna are a bridge between the spirits and humans. Both characters being given upgrades in power and status represent the great mythical heroes in folklore facing various trials. However, the characters dying and then being resurrected is done in a way that adds dramatic stakes but quickly resolves it, which feels like a narrative cheat to have a sense of drama without any consequence.

This isn’t to say Frozen II and Moana 2 needed to be these big dramatic movies where major characters were killed off, but with animated sequels like How to Train Your Dragon 2, Toy Story 2, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse raising the stakes for what an animated sequel can tackle and dramatic they can be, it does highlight where Disney’s most recent sequels have fallen short. Moana 2 and Frozen II set up fascinating new themes for their sequels that could make them on par with their predecessors. The final result feels half-measured to where both movies, while enjoyable, can’t surpass the originals. Moana 2 is currently in theaters, stream Frozen II on Disney+.

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