Review: Moana 2 Home Video Release

Moana 2 is now available on various digital and physical formats.   The film picks up a few years after the first with Moana being a wayfinder looking for other inhabited islands.  She sets off on a new adventure with Hei Hei, Pua and a new trio of characters as a crew.  Maui joins the adventure and she crosses paths with the Kakamora too.      Jeanine reviewed the theatrical release for us last year.

I was given the opportunity to review the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital version of the release.  This includes the film, a sing along version, just over an hour of bonus material and a way to play just the songs.   For full details on the release here is the original press information.

Moana 2 Bonus Features

• Call of the Wayfinder (12 min) – This featurette spotlights several real wayfinders from the Polynesian Voyaging Society while they discuss the history and culture of wayfinding.
• A New Voyage (15 min) – This traditional featurette includes some of the creative team and cast reflecting on the development of this sequel and the legacy of the original film they have to live up to.
• Songs of the Sea (13 min) – A standard featurette taking a look at the music of the new film with the song writers and composer sharing their insights. Each song receives a few minutes of discussion.
• Join the Crew (11 min) – An introduction of the new cast both their characters and the voices behind them.
• Kakamora Chronicles (4 min) – Stories of the real Solomon Island folklore of the Kakamora.
• Fun in the Booth (3 min) – A brief featurette showing some fun moments from the recording sessions of a number of cast members.
• Deleted Scenes (14 min) – Introduction and seven deleted scenes from the film. The scenes are in various phases of development ranging from story boards to pre-viz to more finished animation.

The bonus features that are included on this offering are average for recent releases.    Clocking in at over an hour it was a nice assortment of traditional offerings. I thought there were some missed opportunities of topics to cover and things to include.  I would have liked to have seen a featurette looking at the making of the film from a technical perspective.   There are some shots of animators at work but nothing showcasing the new tools and effects and how this changed from the first to second film.  This film partially made by the Vancouver studios which would be something to explore more.   In the bonus feature discussion of the evolution from a TV series to a full length feature film would have made for an interesting piece.

If you are a Moana fan and want to own a copy of Moana 2 this is an easy decision to add to your library.  If you are looking for an in depth assortment of bonus features the offerings may come up short for you.  The selection of what is included is ok in both breadth and depth but I would have liked to have seen more.

The film is also now available on Disney+, with no bonus features beyond a trailer as of this writing.

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** A review copy of this book was provided to us