The following contains spoilers for Moana 2, now playing in theaters
Moana 2’sbig emotional moment in the film’s climax carries on a longstanding meaning of Walt Disney Animation.Moana 2is the latest entry to the canon of animated movies that’s been going strong for almost a century. Over the course of 63 films, Walt Disney Animation has explored several different themes and settings, with a colorful collection of characters that reflect an ever-changing perspective on the world at large. Despite this wide variety, many of the films do ultimately share a lot of common elements.
Moana 2pokes fun at elements like Disney Princesses, subverting long-standing aspects of the franchise. However, one of the film’s most emotionally powerful moments has a deep-seeted connection to other entries in the series.Moana 2’s endinghighlights one of the most powerful recurring themes in Disney Animation, and elevates Moana’s status as a hero. It also underscores just how consistent that theme has become in the modern entries to the animated canon.
Moana 2’s Self-Sacrifice, Explained
Moana’s Death (And Subsequent Resurrection) Has Lots Of Precedent
Moana 2’s ending features a dramatic self-sacrifice from the titular hero, continuing a long-standing theme that’s been key to Disney Animation for decades.Moana 2follows Moana and her allies as they venture across the ocean to break curse set in place by thedangerous deity Nalo. While her journey inMoanawas dangerous, she had an eagerness to explore that trumped any fear. By contrast, the potential repercussions if she fails this new mission, like the loss of her home island or the potential fading away of her people, gives her more concrete fears.
This builds to Moana’s willingness to risk her life and dive into the ocean to break the curse in the film’s climax, despite it giving Nalo a clear shot at her. This allows her to save the day,but results in Moana’s death via Nalo’s lightning. It’s a tragic moment that the film plays completely straight, with Maui tearfully singing to her body. Moana only survives thanks to her ancestors and the ocean, which restored her to life by elevating her into ademigod like Maui. It’s a big emotional beat that has plenty of precedent in modern Disney animation.
Self-Sacrifice Has Been A Key Element Of Disney For Decades
Multiple Disney Heroes Have Sacrificed Themselves For The Greater Good
Disney animation has long explored the importance of self-sacrifice, treating that impulse as a noble intention that helps define a hero.Some of the franchise’s most emotional beats occur as moments of self-sacrificefor a loved one or the greater good, playing it as a neccesary tragedy. There have been instances where a choice to help a loved one at the cost their own happiness, such as in Belle’s willingness to stay with the Beast inBeauty & the Beastor Quasimodo’s bittersweet acceptance of Esmerelda’s love for Phoebus inHunchback of Notre Dame.
However, the heroes are unaware of this boost in the moment, giving the decision a greater tragic weight.
Films likeBambi,Oliver & Company,Hercules,Tangled,Wreck-it Ralph,Frozen,Big Hero 6, and nowMoana 2overtly feature characters sacrificing their own safety and even lives to protect their loved ones. In many cases, these moments are undone, withHerculesandMoana 2even giving the restored heroes a godly upgrade. However, the heroes are unaware of this boost in the moment, giving the decision a greater tragic weight.It’s an interesting theme to see become so reoccurring in Disney Animation, especially in the 21st century and the modern era of the franchise.
How Moana 2 Continues A Powerful Disney Theme
Moana 2Is The Latest Disney Film To Highlight Self-Sacrifice As A Noble Act
Including 1937’sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsand 2024’sMoana 2, there have been 63 feature-length theatrical Disney films. The heroes have varied, with conceptions of heroism shifting based on the setting, story, and time-period when they were produced. However, there are some key emotional cores that have remained consistent. Among the most powerful is a willingness to do anything for love, even when it’s unrequited or comes with a lethal cost.Moana 2carries on that theme, with a hero who overcomes their self-doubt and low expectations to prove to be a true hero to others and themselves.
Moana 3has not been confirmed at the time of writing, but a prospective sequel would likely explore how she adjusts to becoming a demigod after her sacrifice inMoana 2.
Moana 2goes further than others, outright killing the titular hero on-screen and only restoring her through the use of the world’s mystical qualities. Even if Moana hadn’t been resurrected, her choices would have saved humanity (including her tribe), as well as others like the Kokamora.It gives her choices and actions a greater sense of weight, and brings a certain amount of consequence to a franchise that can often be accused of ignoring the harsher fallout of heroic decisions and choices. It also givesMoana 2its most powerful emotional moment.
Moana 2
Cast
Moana 2 is the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film continues the journey of Moana as she embarks on new adventures, exploring the vast Pacific Ocean while encountering new characters and challenges along the way.
