Due to its strategic release during Thanksgiving week, Moana 2 is shattering box office records despite its lukewarm critical reception. Even though the sequel fails to reach the high expectations set by the original, this is still an eye-popping Walt Disney Animation project filled with catchy tunes and funny characters. Plus, Moana 2 expands the franchise’s mythology, sets the foundation for a threequel, and gives its main characters some powerful upgrades. In the case of Maui (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), the demigod has been granted a weird level of precognition, as he is now aware of knowledge from the real-life future.
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WARNING: MOANA 2 SPOILERS!
As a family-friendly movie, Moana 2 tries to insert quips that appeal to every generation. That includes mentions of real-life things such as fanfic and bumper stickers, which are millennia ahead of the sequel’s setting. While that could be dismissed as just puns, Maui is shown to be fully aware of the anachrony of these words. For instance, in one moment, Maui annoys Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) by calling her a princess, underlining he’s aware of her placement in the Disney Princesses lineup. The weirdest moment, though, comes when Maui drops a one-liner about a “butt dial” before looking straight at the audience and telling Moana that the joke will make sense in about 2,000 years. After that scene, it’s no longer possible to deny Maui has the ability to see the future in the sequel.
Does Maui Know About the Future in Moana 2?
Maui’s demigod nature could explain his newfound ability to perceive future events in Moana 2. After all, as a being existing between the mortal and divine realms, having some connection to events beyond his time wouldn’t be entirely out of character. However, his supposed power manifests through occasional fourth-wall breaks and modern-day references instead of being part of his character growth. As such, these jokes feel more like a forced attempt at contemporary humor than a natural extension of his supernatural abilities.
[Related: Who Is the Actor that Voices Nalo in That Moana 2 Post-Credits Scene?]
Of course, Moana 2 is not the first time Disney has featured a magical character joking about events set in the distant future. For instance, Aladdin’s Genie (voiced by Robin Williams) is remembered for constantly mentioning things that were centuries away from ancient Arabia. Yet, Genie’s pop-culture references and anachronistic jokes worked seamlessly because they were fundamental to his character from the start. His quips about modern life and celebrity impressions weren’t occasional breaks from character but rather an integral part of who he was: a magical being who had existed for millennia and whose very nature transcended time and space. In Maui’s case, his fourth-wall-breaking moments feel more like an afterthought, inconsistent with the character we met in the first film.
Moana 3 should carefully choose between embracing Maui’s newly found Deadpool-like abilities and the story’s carefully crafted Polynesian setting, hopefully the latter. As it is, Maui’s ability to see the future has just been used to deliver a few bad jokes, which hurts the sequel more than it helps.
Moana 2 is now playing in theaters.
