Moana 2 Reveals That Maui Has Knowledge of the Real-Life Future

As a long-time Disney enthusiast and someone who has seen their fair share of animated movies, I must say that Moana 2 is a delightful addition to the franchise, despite its mixed critical reception. The film is visually stunning, packed with catchy tunes, and features a cast of lovable characters, including our favorite demigod Maui.

Thanks to its timely premiere during Thanksgiving week, “Moana 2” has been breaking box office records, even though it’s received mixed reviews from critics. Despite not meeting the lofty expectations set by the first film, this sequel is still an impressive Walt Disney Animation production with memorable melodies and hilarious characters. Furthermore, “Moana 2” broadens the franchise’s lore, lays the groundwork for a third installment, and enhances its principal characters significantly. Interestingly, in this sequel, Maui (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) possesses an unusual foresight, as he now has knowledge from the real-world future.

WARNING: MOANA 2 SPOILERS!

In the family-friendly film Moana 2, they incorporate jokes that are relatable across various age groups. These jokes reference modern items like fan fiction and bumper stickers, which are surprisingly contemporary for a story set millennia beforehand. However, these anachronisms aren’t mere puns; Maui (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) is shown to be well-aware of them. For example, he teases Moana about being a princess, hinting at her position within the Disney Princesses. The most unusual moment occurs when Maui makes a joke about a “butt dial” and then looks directly at the audience, explaining that the humor will only make sense in around 2,000 years. From this point onwards, it’s hard to deny that Maui possesses a unique ability to foresee the future within this sequel.

Does Maui Know About the Future in Moana 2?

In the sequel to Moana, Maui’s ability to foresee future events might be due to his demigod status. Since he straddles both mortal and divine realms, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had some link to occurrences beyond his own time. However, instead of enhancing his character development, these abilities are showcased through humorous fourth-wall breaks and contemporary references that seem more like an effort to incorporate current humor than a logical extension of his supernatural powers.

Absolutely, just as Moana 2 includes a magical character making jokes about future events, it’s not the first time Disney has done this. For example, Genie from Aladdin, voiced by Robin Williams, was known for referencing things that were centuries ahead of ancient Arabia. However, his pop-culture references and anachronistic humor fit perfectly with his character because they were inherent to him from the beginning. His jokes about modern life and celebrity impressions weren’t occasional breaks but rather a fundamental part of who he was: an eternal, time-transcending being. In Maui’s case, his fourth-wall breaks feel more like added extras, seeming inconsistent with the character we met in the first film.

In my perspective as an ardent fan, Moana 3 needs to strike a delicate balance between integrating Maui’s freshly discovered Deadpool-esque powers and maintaining the authentic Polynesian ambiance that has been thoughtfully established in the original story. Ideally, it should lean towards preserving the latter, as I feel it would contribute more positively to the sequel rather than detract from it. Unfortunately, Maui’s power of foresight, which has recently been used for a few humorously lackluster jokes, seems to be undermining the quality of the upcoming film.

Moana 2 is now playing in theaters.

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2024-11-30 07:39