'Moana 2' review: Disney's latest fantastic voyage is also a familiar one

Like most sequels to Disney animated classics, “Moana 2” navigates rough waters and a severe headwind in its efforts to live up to the original. Then again, those others didn't have Dwayne Johnson’s macho demigod Maui playing a flaming conch shell.

Eight years ago, the empowering “Moana” swam away with kids' and parents' hearts, thanks to an adventurous title character and earworming Lin-Manuel Miranda tunes. The follow-up (★★★ out of four; rated PG; in theaters Wednesday) plots an extremely familiar course but at least does so with fresh new personalities and more inspired Pacific Island influence.

Even if it’s not as mold-smashing, the sequel still makes good use of its best assets: The terrific Auli‘i Cravalho brings extra depth to lively wayfarer Moana while Johnson lends powerful sass to endlessly buff sidekick Maui, more of a steady hand this time around.

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“Moana 2” takes place three years after our young heroine discovered her place in the world and made “How Far I’ll Go” an anthem for little girls everywhere. Moana’s latest voyage brings her back to her island home of Motunui, where she’s given the title of master navigator by her dad, Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison). A vision of an ancestor and the hope of finding others like her spark Moana's latest mission: to break the curse of the storm god Nalo and rediscover the sunken island of Motufetu, which once connected the people and the ocean.

Meanwhile, Maui has his own beef with Nalo but he’s been captured by the mysterious Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a batty underworld goddess with a battalion of flying foxes. Moana, now boasting a motley crew of rookies on her adventure, ultimately finds and reteams with Maui – it takes awhile but their reunion is absolutely joyous. And whereas Maui needed Moana to snap him out of an existential crisis in the first film, the sequel finds them switching places and Maui having to be his best motivational self.

“Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” is a boisterous hype tune with a rap and “Rocky”-style montage where Maui helps Moana get her metaphorical bearings straight – it’s a worthy follow to the demigod's snappy standout “You’re Welcome.” “Chee Hoo” is also one of the better songs in the sequel, alongside the rousing opener “We’re Back” and Cravalho’s latest belter “Beyond.” The new numbers from Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who went viral with their “Bridgerton” TikTok musical, are more of a mixed bag than the Miranda jams. That change-up does work, though, as a deft musical nod to Moana’s evolution from spunky sailor wannabe and rebellious daughter to rookie boat captain and beloved big sister.

Cravalho continues to pour emotion into every cartoon pore of her aspirational warrior, an expressive personality who can totally out-sail your favorite Disney princess. Johnson also remains a blast as Maui, though their relationship takes a bit of a backseat to Moana and her new crew: Maui super-fan and storyteller Moni (Hualālai Chung), eccentric engineer Loto (Rose Matafeo) and grumpy old farmer Kele (David Fane). Pet rooster Heihei (Alan Tudyk) – aka Maui’s fave “Boat Snack” – makes a return trip while porcine pal Pua gets a more active role this quest.

Lovable characters return from the original film, though so do identical story beats and plot points. Moana and Co. again run afoul of those kooky coconut pirates of the Kakamora in a carbon-copy sequence – one of those little spear-wielding weirdos does join the core crew, which is a nice touch. Moana and Maui also repeat the bit where they escape an island full of obstacles (although this time it is a cool ginormous clam) to make their way to a whole other island where a dangerous force of nature awaits. The wild-eyed Matangi is a great addition from a personality standpoint and the overall commitment to authentic Pacific representation continues to be an admirable aspect of the franchise.

Other animated sequels suck the life out of a property and leave it a charmless husk of its former self (staring at you, “Frozen II”). This “Moana” instead charts different avenues for how far she’ll go – next up is a live-action redo of the first movie, but there’s plenty of vital seascape left for an animated threequel or even a Disney+ series. And for that? You’re welcome, "Moana" diehards.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Moana 2' review: Disney sequel a fun trip, but one we've seen before