Um... did the songwriters even watch Moana 1?

I was really looking forward to Milana 2 but when I initially saw it in theaters I couldn't help but feel disappointed the movie has a lot of flaws many of which stem from the fact that it was originally meant to be a TV series on Disney plus but the thing that stood out to me the most is the soundtrack don't get me wrong there are some songs that I legitimately enjoy listening to but most of the musical numbers in Moana 2 are Utterly devoid of what makes moana's soundtrack so spectacular so to understand why that

is we'll be analyzing each and every musical number from both movies in order to figure out why Moana 2's soundtrack simply cannot compare to the original and to make this comparison a bit more objective we'll be grading each song according to four categories how well it moves the narrative forward how well it develops the characters how well the music itself Is written and how much it capitalizes on the song's X Factor right off the bat moana's opening musical number shows us just how Next Level Lin Manuel Miranda is as a songwriter starting with the characters

where you are give gives us a crystal clear picture of who everybody on the island is and what they want out of life Chief tuille is the main vocalist and his lyrics show us just how dedicated he is to maintaining the status quo this TR is our and mo so Additionally they show us why he's so obsessed with tradition as chief his main priority is protecting the village and its people up until now their Traditions have allowed him to thrive and be happy we sh everything we make we we conversely any changes to their way

of life could potentially disrupt their prosperity which isn't a risk worth taking at least not according to the chief it's basically an extreme version of if it Ain't broke don't fix it but his daughter Milana doesn't see it that way which is why this whole song is designed to make her see things like he [Music] does he knows that his daughter will one day be Chief and he wants to make sure he's leaving the people of Matsui in good hands people will need a you are he wants Moana to dedicate her life to their people

which is why he highlights the beauty of their Culture ironically the lyrics also hint that he wasn't so different from Moana when he was her age I think it's really powerful to see him admit to not always being sure what to do revealing to Moana that he had doubts or was scared shows that everything he's telling her comes from a good place he may not be completely right in his approach to things but it's clear he sincerely wants what's best for Moana you are the future of our people Moana when it comes to the other

characters we don't get as much time with them but the lyrics still paint a vivid picture the villagers all seem to agree with upholding tradition and her mother supports the chief's viewpoint but isn't nearly as [Music] pushy moana's grandmother tala is given a solo section in the middle of the song I like to dance with the water the undertoe and the waves which shows us in A literal sense that she stands apart from the other villagers The Village may think I'm crazy or say that I dri too far we also establish that she will be

milana's emotional guide throughout the rest of the movie you may hear a voice inside why not that voice inside is who you are speaking of Moana let's talk about how the number sets up and progresses The Narrative before the song even begins we see that Moana has a deeply personal connection with the Ocean sadly over the course of this musical number she learns to suppress this part of herself in order to appease others an important part of most character arcs is the liar character chooses to believe in Moana the LIE is that she must choose

between her people and the ocean that becoming a voyager means abandoning the people who need her we see this lie reinforced constantly by her father's choice of words don't walk away Stay on the ground now which frame her passion for the sea as a distraction from her responsibilities by the end of the song moana's largely set aside her passion for the sake of her [Music] people but at the same time the lyrics hint at the lesson she'll eventually learn over the course of the narrative Moana revives her people's tradition of voyaging meaning she quite literally

leads the way and has her people by her Side additionally the song's final line tells us which in a literal sense refers to Mani but eventually Moana realizes that if you embrace your true identity you can find happiness wherever you actually are moving on to the music itself the most impressive thing is how it Blends three iconic Aesthetics in a manner that feels effortless it takes the best elements of Polynesian music Disney scores and Lin Manuel Miranda and fuses Them together in a way that feels uniquely Moana coconut it's a unique sound that defines the

musical direction for the rest of the movie and makes the entire soundtrack feel incredibly cohesive something I love about this song in particular is how it layers vocals on top of each other this is something Lynn likes to do in a lot of his musicals but it's Especially effective in this song as it shows that the various villagers are all working in unison in my opinion the exactor of this song is the abua special and now I'm wide awake a million years too late for those who don't know an ABA special is when Lin man

will Miranda writes music for an ethnic grandmother specifically designed to make me cry which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice right part of what makes tala's section so emotional is the Contrast between her youthful energy and her immense wisdom the water is mischievous I like how it misbehaves un likee Moana or even the chief tala has enough perspective on life to not take it so seriously she's dedicated to her people and their Traditions but isn't afraid to find Whimsy where others would find danger but know what like well most importantly she

doesn't push Moana to change before she's ready she can tell that Moana is meant for bigger Things and if the voice starts to whisper but unlike Chief Tui she waits for Milana to come to that realization on her own she knows that she can pave the way for her granddaughter but Moana is the one who has to walk the path overall where you are is a near Perfect song and I'm kind of obligated to give it fives across the board even though Milana teaches us the importance of knowing who you are that doesn't mean you

want other people to have your Personal information which is why I'm excited to highlight the sponsor of today's video Aura at some point in 2023 I realized I was getting inundated with an absurd amount of spam calls which made me second guess whether or not to pick up the phone anytime someone tried to call me as a result I nearly missed out on a number of important opportunities and events all because I didn't know which calls I could trust what I later Learned was that my Information had been sold off by what's called a data

broker a company that makes money off of collecting and selling innocent people's data without their consent at the time I didn't know what to do but now I keep my private information private with the help of Aura with just a few clicks or will scan the web to see which data Brokers have your info and help you get it removed without any hassle I do this every few weeks just in case and the peace of mind It brings me is so worth it I also adore their VPN and its military grade encryption because it blocks

known scam sites that might be fishing for your data I get all this in one app at one affordable price and so can you stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches go to my sponsor ora.com the block to get a 14-day free trial and see if any of your data has been exposed now let's examine the opening song from Alana 2 which is called we're back from A narrative standpoint Moana 2 starts off with a status quo that's much less problematic than in Moana 1 and while that might be nice in Universe it makes it

much harder for the opening song to be compelling we're back is all about how after the events of Moana 1 things are going great for the people of moui the lyrics explained that the Islanders have embraced their lost Heritage as voyagers the Horizon but still maintain a deep connection to their home home as The song puts it they are finally but there in lies the problem if Milana and the other villagers start off the movie as who they're meant to be what room is there for them to grow throughout the narrative one of my biggest

problems with Moana 2 is that Moana feels almost like a side character in her own movie she doesn't have a meaning meaningful flaw to overcome and there's no lie she has to unlearn making her a mostly static character Additionally this song doesn't hint at what the movie's central conflict is going to be which is a massive downgrade compared to where you are the primary objective in Milana 2 is to reconnect with other humans so it would have been great if the opening song hinted at moana's loneliness in some capacity or some other reason why mou's

isolation is a bad thing as it stands The Narrative just comes to a halt during this song and they don't set up critical elements For later in the runtime however the character work in this song is actually pretty decent the three new characters that join moana's crew aren't all that deep but we quickly come to understand what makes each of them tick and what their central conflict is Kell is a grumpy old man I can't wait till I retire who needs to learn how to let loose with other people do you have to sing Mooney

is a painter and Storyteller if you want to hear about The greatest wayfinder of all time who desperately wants to impress Maui unless Maui was also friends with me and finally loto is a highly skilled Builder who needs to enjoy her accomplishments rather than striving for Perfection we also see that moana's parents are highly supportive of her made the to Dad and that Moana has a sister who is just meant to look cute and has no impact on the narrative like I said the characters are pretty simple But the song introduces them efficiently and makes

most of them pretty endearing musically we back is good parts of it are really catchy and they do some cool things with syncopation but it runs into a problem I have with most of the songs in this movie in my opinion All Good Music needs one or more moments of catharsis good songs build Musical and emotional tension over the source of multiple lines or sometimes even multiple verses before hitting that one Section or moment that makes it all worth it in a song like Rose's turn you have a buildup that keeps you on the edge

of your seat it builds up hype and [Music] anticipation before finally exploding into we're back and several other Moana 2 songs all have excellent buildups but there's something that feels unfinished or satisfying about their payoffs it's decently written but it just doesn't Feel quite as impactful as I'd like it to speaking of which there really isn't an X Factor in this song I've listened to all these songs repeatedly and for most of them there's always a moment or element that I think of and anticipate when I start the song but in the case of we're

back there's nothing that really sticks out to me if I had to pick an X Factor i' definitely give it to a e kio's voice her vocals have a delicate strength that is endlessly Pleasant to Listen to oh finally and even when she's hitting a note perfectly her voice still contains immense character she Nails the iconic Disney princess sound and yet maintains a distinct Sonic identity overall I give we back a two for narrative four for character three for music and a two for X Factor because Ali's voice only kind of counts it's time to

talk about arguably the most important type of song In any Musical and definitely the most important type of song in a Disney movie this is where we discuss the I want song numbers like Part of Your World One Jump Ahead reflection these are the songs that make us truly empathize with the main characters we get a sense of what they want why we should care and what's getting in their way for Moana one the I want song is how far I'll go and it paints a beautifully Vivid portrait of what makes Moana tick on a

character Level the song is all about introspection and growth unlike a lot of other Disney protagonists she doesn't initially know what she [Music] wants the ocean has been calling to Moana since she was a toddler but she's always been pressured by her parents to ignore that part of who she is she's desperate to make her father proud I wish I could be the perfect daughter and feels ashamed of her longing even though She's yet to act on it no matter how hard I try the ratio of internal to external conflict is much higher in Moana

than any other Disney movie from this era and it makes Moana feel intensely human one couplet in particular that I adore is I cannot I see most movies would say where I cannot go but I long to be emphasizing the conflict between her love of Adventure and her father's emphasis on Tradition but by not using that word they wind up emphasizing that these two parts of her can coexist which is kind of the whole point of the movie Moana isn't leaving her culture behind she's synthesizing their way of life with the Lost traditions of their

ancestors she isn't choosing one over the other but rather acting as a bridge between past and present on a narrative level the song is also incredibly effective the first verse reveals Milan's [Music] dream she wants to explore the ocean and Venture into the unknown into the no no we're not going to talk about that here Frozen gets its own video anyway after establishing what her dream is the second verse is all about talking herself out of it she reminds herself that she's expected to become Chief and feel selfish for dreaming about a different life what

is with me The difference between verse one and verse two creates a meaningful conflict which is something great musical numbers need then when she gets to the final chorus and Moana [Music] says it's clear just how much she's changed in this one song she is now heating The Call to Adventure and embracing the part of herself who longs to become a voyager musically this song is excellent it's one of the few pieces Of music that I can't decide which part I like best I love how the bridge drops out to make way for the chorus

and the way the first chorus overlaps with the second verse gives the song an incredible sense of momentum much like the narrative within the lyrics the music in this song builds and develops over its runtime ending in a profound and Powerful [Music] Crescendo as for the X Factor it's Definitely the way Ali e delivers the line what is wrong with it's a small moment that has a huge impact on how relatable the character is and almost makes you forget you're listening to a song it's such an intensely personal question that you feel like she's sharing

a secret with you we as the audience are trusted Enough by Milana to see her in this vulnerable state and observe her in her monologue ultimately how far I'll go Gets a five five five and a four Moana 2's I want song is complicated to analyze because in a vacuum it's it's actually quite excellent but in the context of the movie and its predecessor it doesn't make a whole lot of sense from the standpoint of narrative and character Beyond does the exact same thing as how far I'll go and I do mean the exact same

thing Moana starts off feeling called upon by Destiny to Voyage into uncharted [Music] waters she's worried that going on this Voyage could mean abandoning her family in village [Music] far from home the chorus is all about getting Beyond a familiar point and seeing how far she'll end up going and over the course of the song the chorus goes from being a question what lies to being a confident [Music] Declaration like in the first movie the song does a good job progressing the story and main character but the problem is in order for the song to

make sense you have to forget everything that happened in the original film Moana already worked up the courage to sail Beyond familiar Waters and already proved that she doesn't have to choose between her family and being a voyager so what the heck is the point of this song is there supposed to be a big Difference between her journey in this movie and her journey in the original cuz that's not supported by the narrative what are you so worried about it's not like last time you sure about that on a plot level Moana 2 is to

Moana 1 as the force awakens is to a new hope some details and locations are technically different but the structure and motivations are functionally identical Moana decides to leave behind her home Moana runs into angry coconuts Molana gets transported to an otherworldly location so she can meet a secondary villain and listen to their musical number Moana gets discouraged and has a heart-to- heart with one of her mentors and finally Moana has to fight a deity whose main goal is keeping her from reaching a specific Island now I don't mind Moana to retreading the same ground

but if it's going to do so it at least needs to come up with a new arc for the main character part of why The movie feels so soulless is because Moana doesn't learn a meaningful lesson over the course of the narrative and because she doesn't grow in a significant way the adventure doesn't feel like it serves a purpose even when he the Pooh knows that a journey is pointless unless you learn something along the way you're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and this issue all comes back to moana's I want

want song Beyond doesn't tell us Anything new about Moana in fact it implies that she actually regressed as a character it essentially admits to the audience that they're just going to do the same movie over again but worse which is incredibly disappointing given all the potential stories they could tell within this universe on a positive note the song is musically fantastic unlike some other songs in this soundtrack Beyond doesn't ever Rush its Tempo not not quite my Tempo here we we go it keeps the speed consistent and focuses on ramping up things like the emotion

and orchestration also despite copying how far I'll go in a lot of ways Beyond establishes a truly unique sound much like the title The Melody feels unfamiliar but exciting we feel intrigued during the verses and the chorus is exhilarating in terms of X Factor I love the way we transition from I Am [Music] into first of all it just sounds awesome and secondly it's meant to tell the audience what to expect throughout the rest of the movie it's a promise that Moana 2 will Embrace what made the original great but also show us something new

and mysterious now it doesn't keep that promise but that's an issue with the screenplay not this song I'm giving Beyond a three for narrative Three for character five for music and it's Factor gets a four for these next two songs I'm technically grouping them together as songs about life on the ocean but they have completely different functions within the narrative so I'm not actually comparing them directly we know the way is essentially the theme song for the original Moana not that it's anywhere near the most iconic but it's literally the song that encapsulates the movie's

main theme it's About rediscovering the past it's about embracing your heritage it's about the joy of voyaging we stay hungry we devour there's not a lot of story in this this song when taken out of context but if you consider the events of the movie it does an amazing job at moving the plot forward the song plays as a vision when Milana discovers the truth about her ancestors we were voyagers we were voyagers we were voyagers and even though the characters seeing the song Don't change it represents a major turning point in milana's Arc remember

when Milana was talking about her fascination with the ocean well now she does know voyaging is part of her Heritage and she suddenly realizes that the call to Adventure is rooted in her [Music] DNA the titular line in a literal sense refers to the sailor's ability to navigate but also Represents how Moana now sees a way forward for her people her mission is not just to return the heart of tafiti but to reunite her people with their C culture additionally this song helps us realize something important about moana's tribe the chief believes that their dedication

to tradition is what keeps them happy but their ancestors are shown to be just as joyful with a completely different set of traditions what this tells the audience and what The villagers eventually come to realize is that Community is even more important than tradition the specific rituals and Customs are a way to come together as a people but they're not the only way whether they're relegated to their island or voyaging across the ocean the bonds they share are what make them strong Community breeds culture breeds tradition and while each of those is incredibly important to

preserve if all else fails it's the people that matter Most musically this song does an excellent job of blending Samoan and English lyrics without feeling like it gives one priority over the other the San verse is semi diagetic with one of the characters actually singing on screen and the English lyrics are utilized in Montage which makes it feel like a translation for the sake of the audience wind when it emphasizes that the movie wants To let people witness the culture but in a way that doesn't feel like superficial tourism the underlying drum beat and Rhythm

truly captures the unique feel of speeding across the water's surface and the melody emphasizes how these people are constantly driving forward without hesitation speaking of which one of the lyrical choices I adore is when they say it would have been easy to make this couplet rhyme by having it say in a never-ending line instead of a Never-ending chain which on paper would still have the same meaning but by intentionally choosing a word that doesn't rhyme it avoids a feeling of resolution emulating how the cycle of Storytelling is as they put it never ending now the

X Factor in this song is definitely the contrast between opai and Lind voice it is simultaneously hilarious and heartwarming to go from this guttural soul-filled voice directly into I look at the colors It's like Roy G like yeah it's a little awkward but it just reminds me how much sincerity every person put into this project at its best Disney musical should be exactly this both a celebration of different cultures and a means for pitchy high schoolers to audition for their production of Greece I give we know the way for actually no I love this song's

X Factor but if we're being objective it's realistically a two sticking with songs About sailing what could be better than this is Moana 2's friendship development Montage so I think it makes sense to talk about character first joining Moana on the journey are Mo loto and Kell and this is where you can see the original plan for this to be a Disney Plus show if we had several 20 to 30 minute episodes to get to know the Ensemble I'm sure these guys would have been great additions to the cast each character could have an episode

focused on their Quirks and insecurities with Milana helping each of them grow as people but unfortunately when they forced this project into being a movie all of their development got shoved into this one song over the course of about 3 minutes all three characters go from being hesitant about voyaging to embracing The Experience wholeheartedly Mooney's quick transition makes the most sense seen as he already loves telling tales about other people And as Moana puts it he just needs a little bit of encouragement and by the time we reach the bridge he's already starting to sing

along with Moana loto on the other hand struggles to embrace their Adventure because she's too busy focusing on modifying and repairing their boat theoretically learning not to miss out on good enough in pursuit of perfection is a really compelling character Arc but loto Already seems to understand this technically speaking Perfection of myth so she's not actually pursuing Perfection but is pursuing better even though the journe better could exist which is such a muddy weak character Arc I think Walt Disney Animation sometimes tries to add Nuance to their themes but Nuance really isn't their strong suit

but arendelle's on this F nothing's going to happen to Arendelle Anna it's going to be fine but Arendelle will be Flooded Arendelle has no future until we make this right Arendelle did not fall Arendelle deserves to stand anyway the final character Arc is much less nuanced but also much more effective K is a grumpy wus I think I'm going insane on the sea which as we all know is the worst kind of Wampus he's the resident plant expert just give me one grain of sand in a tree and he just wants to stay below deck

for the entire Voyage over the course of the song Moana Mon and Loto all focus on getting him to enjoy being at Sea it's a classic grumpy Sunshine Dynamic starting to understand take me back to land and even though a lot of it isn't earned it's simple enough that it doesn't need to narratively speaking the song efficiently turns the ragtag group into a cohesive unit but I don't feel like it's set up well by the rest of the movie we see that team Moana is having some trouble sailing together but only Briefly and it's not

made out to be all that big of a deal I think this section could have felt a lot more significant if this was the first time anyone else from the tribe had gotten on a boat if Moana 2 was all about Moana actually teaching people to navigate like their ancestors it would give the sequel its own identity if Moana initially wanted to Journey alone but then was forced to accept help part of moana's artc could be learning how to share her knowledge With others and realizing that being a leader means working with people even when

they're being difficult this song winds up moving the narrative forward too quickly though and I think that negatively impacts the rest of the movie musically I like most of this song but I have two specific issues first this song is constantly on the front end of the beat which makes it feel like the tempo is constantly rushing this is especially obvious with how they first introduced The main hook of the song what could be now this type of Drive is fine out of context and definitely fits Mo on his character but it completely misses the

point of the sequence the song is all about them becoming a well-oiled machine and moani even tells us but the song doesn't ever settle into a steady flow for its entire duration this song feels like it drank one too many cups of coffee and just can't wait To get to the next chorus which doesn't make sense because the words are all about how they're supposed to be enjoying the journey and [Music] process not the destination my second issue is the rap section fin fantastically yes we're a and we're messing up drastically falling in your face

is the best guys this is not good like I get that Lynn was busy doing Mufasa and had to say bye-bye to the Milana franchise but that doesn't mean you should be doing a cheap ation of his work the rap Cadence never establishes a satisfying flow but that's why I'm always designing aligning combining ideas and always ref and it winds up sounding like the songwriter is desperately trying to relate to kids these days and their hip-hop music then you got to do a to a hip-hop beat I get that Lynn style of music isn't for

everyone but he's undeniably talented at What he does even when his lyrics are repetitive or seemingly simple I always wanted a brother I always wanted a brother it's done so with purpose in the song I just referenced the whole point is to show how powerful the bond is between taka and Mufasa by ending all these lines with brother but having the words that lead into it change what did you say about my brother it's not a tra my brother Lynn captures how their relationship remains constant no matter What life has in store for theming with

my brother and yeah that kind of falls apart considering you know I can't move FAS brother that but Lynn's writing makes this even more tragic conversely many parts of Manan 2's soundtrack feel simplistic but this doesn't seem to be done intentionally the negative space in lines like if you do it wrong then you run another test yes it's really simple actually the m ofoto a very last are Seemingly random so rather than being a clever way to switch up the Cadence it feels more like they just couldn't figure out how to fit the lyrics into

the beat they established only a few lines ago on a positive note The X Factor for this song is definitely 's final note this not only do I love Bassy voices in musical theater why do we build the wall my children my children but this particular finale feels very reminiscent Of my favorite moment from The Jungle Book That's What Friends the moment fits the song as well as the character and it shows the proper way to emulate something you enjoyed from a different piece of music if I'm being generous nothing is better than this gets

a three a four a three and a four honestly these next two songs are kind of the whole reason I ended up making this video that's right it's time to talk about Dwayne the Rockstar Johnson starting with your welcome there is some narrative to the song but it's really just a lore dump for the Maui mythology when the night got Who Stole You fire from down below with that in mind it delivers this lore dump effectively and more importantly in a compelling Rhythm now you got coconuts and to be fair the lore is incredibly important

to Maui's character Arc through this movie see Maui is known for being exceptional Face to face with and strange but after stealing the heart of teiti and losing his hook he's not really the demigod he used to be he feels like he should be able to do anything and he struggles to admit to his limitations over the course of the movie he learns to be more humble and work with others which is why it's so important that he leaves with bravado when we first meet him yes it's really me it's Mai he's promoting his own

Mythic Persona and buying into his own hype but I am the CH seeing him like this now makes it much more poignant when he opens up to Moana later in the narrative they threw me into the sea like I was nothing with regards to the music there's a reason this is one of the few songs that approaches the popularity of Let It Go the verses feel playful and intriguing in a way that draws you in and demands your attention I see What's meanwhile the chorus is triumphant and explosive hey it's okay it's okay you're welome

just like a demig God's Anthem should be I also think part of what makes this song so fun for the audience to sing along to is that it was written with someone like the Rock and mind Johnson has always been able to carry a tune your but he's obviously nowhere near Iden Manzel or any other classically trained Vocalist so unlike Let It Go plenty of people can sing along to your welcome without being totally off key I agree she's a little pitchy finally this song's X Factor at least in my opinion is this moment right

here and the here in my a map the victories I win it's not musically all that complicated but Johnson speak sings his hard out in this moment and it really endeared me to the character seeing Maui buy into his hype this sincerely makes it feel like the Audience has permission to do so as well and it makes it that much more exciting when he achieves yet another Victory by helping Milana complete her Quest I give your welcome a four a five a five and a three now when it comes to can I get a chi

who I really wanted to like this song but there are a few issues that prevent it from matching the quality of the original Moana soundtrack having the act three rebound song be a rock number is a really cool change of pace having Dwayne Johnson and a chorus chance who are you who are you who are you going to be is an incredibly exciting way to ramp into the finale the point of the song is to remind Moana how dope she is and lyrics like you've got greatness inside and you just got to believe effectively communicate

that message additionally presenting the line get as a question is a great way to set up the final moment in which Moana gives him a chi whoo signaling that she's Ready to face the final challenge it's a simple narrative to be sure but effective nonetheless the problem however lies in moana's character and how it relates to this song the first line tells us you're down in the dumps you think your way off your game which is true but the movie doesn't do a good job of telling us why Moana is sad that they got stranded

on an island but we're not given a deeper reason for her to feel depressed in a good movie The Act To low point is where the main character couldn't be further from their main goal and they question whether or not to continue with their character Arc or go back to the person they used to be the start of the narrative in Moana 1 this is where Maui abandons her and Moana momentarily gives up on returning the heart that's when her grandmother shows up and tells [Music] her validating moana's pain but Reminding her that it's not

a reason to give up tala then poses the question do know this forces Milana to reflect inward [Music] and the girl who loves the sea realizing that both parts of herself are important and that they compliment rather than contradict one another when she [Music] sings it shows the audience that she recognizes her own accomplishments and Knows that she is worthy to go forth and return the heart of teiti the big finale of the song is when she yells I am and shows that she knows exactly who she is and why she was chosen the ocean

did not make a mistake musically that line is just so so good and it's also musically good when they reference it in Beyond but narratively they didn't earn that if you want to use a piece of music that poignant then you got to make a movie as good as the first Moana jumping Back to Moana 2 since her character Arc is so poorly constructed it's not clear what giving up would mean for her character sure being stranded is a setback but it doesn't represent a failure in Milana as a person if they had been attacked

because Moana was arrogant or unwilling to listen to other people then it actually would be her fault but nothing about what led to this moment is inherently tied to Moana as a character and because it's not tied to The character many of the lyrics feel incredibly generic think you don't have the tricks but the right up your sleeve what does that mean Maui Moana isn't known for being clever or tricky she's honest Brave and determined she was able to see tati's true identity because she was true to herself she didn't trick anyone don't waste all

this energy cuz you got the remedy how is she wasting energy she was just sitting down and having a cry when you started singing Also what remedy does she have it's the other people in the group who repair the boat and fix the problem even if we go back to the line I sort of enjoyed who are you who are you who are you going to be it doesn't make any sense for moana's character the entire first movie was about Moana realizing who she truly is I am [Music] and she even starts out the second

movie still knowing exactly who she is I Am so why is this even a question like the movie in general this song has no idea what to do with Moana as a character musically the first verse and chorus is pretty decent but Things Fall Apart when we get to Maui's quote unquote rapping so the first line in the couplet goes and you're clever I never give you enough credit followed by 2 and 1/2 to 3 counts of negative space which is theoretically fine native space can be used to emphasize the brevity of a Line or

to create anticipation but then the second line in the couplet goes and Under Pressure you measure up you me which doesn't even match the Cadence of the first line like I would get having an awkward Cadence if you were struggling to fit all the lyrics into a short time period but then why not fill up the negative space between lines it just makes it obvious that the writers on Moana 2 do not have the skill set necessary to be WR rap verses also they Do this thing where the first CH in every chorus is slightly

rushed which sucks because it's supposed to be a musical climax I think they were trying to make the chi who sound more authentic but the way Johnson delivers it just feels like it's missing much needed impact but despite all my problems with this song The X Factor makes it all worth it just before the final chorus Maui plays a synth solo on a giant Conch that he uses like like a Saxophone and also it shoots fire if you don't think this is awesome your opinion is big and stinky overall Chi who gets a three a

two a three and a five and because I forgot to grade it I am Moana gets all fives too is wrong Perfection is not a myth moving on to the villain songs in each movie this is one of the few times that Moana 1 and two are about equal just like in your welcome shiny is a song more focused on character than narrative and in that Regard it's pretty effective TOA really only cares about one thing I'd rather and the song reminds you constantly but it's actually a good thing that tamatoa is so one-dimensional first

of all being shiny is a metaphor Toma has built up a hardened exterior that is nearly impossible to penetrate send your armies but'll never enough's too tough he's focused on external appearances and Views vulnerability as a weakness seen as he's a villain this is The movie's way of telling us that we should want the opposite for our main characters Moana needs to listen to her grandmother you Granny lied and Maui needs to let down his guard even though humans have hurt him in the past and when tomatoa says he's correct Maui isn't capable of blocking

out the pain he has to work through it it's a poignant look into Maui's core wound and I just love when armor is used as an emotional metaphor You must shed your masks to wear this armor musically I think this song tries too hard to be catchy unlike in your welcome the chorus feels like it draws attention to its repetition some of the Rhymes are legitimately clever but then undercut themselves by pointing this out my favorite part is when TOA starts mocking Maui about being abandoned made you feel want because it's a great change of

tone but it doesn't feel forced as for the X Factor I give it to Jermaine clemens's voice remove he's not very gifted on a technical level but his voice has a ton of character we just look it's similar to why I enjoy listening to a singer like Louis Armstrong a lot of people are familiar with his more goofy songs from the Flight of the Concords but I've always enjoyed when his music music gets just a bit more [Music] sincere in total shiny gets a three a five a three and a three moving on to get

lost this is easily my favorite song in Moana 2 but that doesn't mean it's without its issues narratively it serves one major purpose getting Moana out of the giant clam and into the realm of nalo I'll let you know how can get out here basically Matangi tells Milana she has to be lost in order to find where she's trying to go which allows Milana To escape and takes the characters to the next part of the adventure there isn't much back or forth or difficulty when it comes to getting lost though so this narrative beat doesn't

feel satisfying or earned even worse though is how this sequence handles its characters the first half of this movie made Matangi out to be a villain but then immediately goes LOL JK she's on your side it's basically the reverse of Disney's obsession with the twist Villain but despite being a nice change of pace it doesn't add anything to the movie Matangi doesn't do anything meaningful in the narrative she only exists to point Moana in the right direction so all her screen time before this moment feels like a waste I get that she wants Moana to

take down nalo but they needed to give Matangi more agency Moana finding the giant clam and meeting up with Maui is completely random but they could have made it part Of Matangi plan if Matangi trapped Maui as a way to lure Moana to her layer then the storytelling would feel much more cohesive but capturing Maui has nothing to do with why Milana goes on her adventure and Milana didn't know about the giant clam until she got captured by kakamura speaking of Moana this whole song doesn't make sense in terms of her character matoni tells [Music]

her but why moana's whole journey is About knowing who and where you are feeling lost is the thing she had to overcome in the previous movie is no m to your Destin if Moana was always relying on maps or other people to guide her then getting lost might make sense as a metaphor but moana's whole thing is finding her own way through life Matangi also tells Moana which makes zero sense moana's most iconic song is I which is the opposite of holding Herself back even in this movie Moana says proving she's still willing to venture

into the unknown like I know the songwriters seem to have forgotten the first movie but did they also forget the lyrics they just wrote in the same vein when she tells Moana it seems like she's calling Moana up tight but other songs in this movie show us just how chill Milana is as an individual and as a leader you're going To miss all the fun you don't together better this might sound weird but I think they needed to copy Avatar in Avatar 1 Jake is wild and Reckless calls me scow it means but it's because

of this that he's able to do great things sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move but in Avatar 2 Jake struggles with being a dad because he's too scared to let his kids take the same risks that he did you spot Bogies and you call him in from a distance he Has to learn to trust in his children and and not to hold on quite so tight you're grounded no flying for a month a great way to implement a similar Arc in Milana would be if she's scared to let other people become

voyagers she could be the only one who knows how to navigate by staright and force everyone else to use the maps that she created this would be especially poignant if her sister was a little older in this movie and got to be a meaningful piece of the Narrative instead of just looking cute for the sake of merchandise legitimately HEI HEI is a more fleshed out character than milana's sister anyways if moana's Arc was about letting others get lost Matangi lyrics would actually make sense another issue I have is how the song develops it makes sense

that the intro and first verse are only sung by Matangi but at some point throughout the song Moana should have joined in not just because Ali's voice is amazing which it Is but because it would show that Milana is starting to understand what Matangi is trying to say to show what I mean allow me to reference a musical short film I directed called smile for someone else in that the main character feels overwhelmed by negative emotions but the voice in her head is telling her to put on a happy face so as not to burden

other people the debate then plays out as a musical number with Liz being the only character to sing or dance for the First part of the song then Roxy sings part of the second verse and joins Liz in singing the chorus by having one character join another in song it shows that they're starting to think in the same way but having Matangi monologue for the entire duration of get lost winds up making moan as decision to get lost feel less satisfying we don't see what makes Moana change her mind so the change feels random and

not like progress musically though this song Slaps the lyrics might not make sense for the characters involved but they work great when analyzed in a vacuum the song has a great Groove and the Rhythm Section creates a nice drive without ever rushing the tempo the momentum of the song es and flows naturally and evolves enough to keep things interesting without losing sight of its catchy hook the vocals are St but that just makes me more angry that the character wasn't a bigger part of the Movie I got to give the X Factor to the lean

use of horns in this song now longtime viewers might know I'm usually a big fan of fat horns so basically anything Michael geino has ever worked on but as someone who played trumpet in jazz band I can also appreciate when a song uses restraint the star of the show is Matangi vocals and how they sit perfectly on top of the Rhythm Section the trumpets are a nice accent but they don't try to steal the show which is What would happen if the orchestration wasn't so great overall I give get lost a three a two a

five and a four finally let's talk about the musical numbers that act as the climax for each movie in know who you are Moana realizes that teiti and tea are actually one and the same the song begins with Milana saying I horiz every part of her journey has led to this meaning that this exchange with t/ teiti is the culmination of Everything she's learned along the way the line connects toiti struggle to that of Moana and her people they too have forgotten who they are and where they came from side note this is an excellent

way to handle redeeming a villain revealing the protagonist and antagonist both are dealing with the same issue makes it much more logical for the conclusion of one's narrative to benefit the other this is also why regardless of Redemption Professor X and Magneto have such a compelling Dynamic jumping back to Moana though it's the final line that is so brilliant as Moana gives to Fey her heart back she tells her are which is such a beautiful way to make the movie's resolution stem from its message moana's Journey was one of self-discovery and it's only in knowing

ourselves that we can truly know other people by embracing who she truly is Moana is able to remind teiti of her True identity and in turn do the same for her island in the same vein this is why Milana was able to help Maui grow as a person he realized he didn't need to be a legend he just needed to be a good person the music is haunting but beautiful and the choice to have such minimal instrumentation is an amazing X Factor despite its Simplicity I know who you are gets a five four five and

five manava is more diagetic than its counterpart and I really appreciate that Choice so in case you didn't know Moana dies at the end of Moana too don't worry she comes back got better and this song is part of the reason why when Maui sings he's essentially praying for the spirits to bring Moana back to life as the song continues moana's ancestors join [Music] in with the final verse being sung by her [Music] Grandmother now although this moment is beautiful it's not really earned the whole point of Moana 2 is to reconnect with other humans

not with her direct ancestors if they wanted this sequence to be more relevant this should have been when the other humans arrive realizing that Milana sacrificed herself to unite them all the Gratitude and prayers could be enough to Grant Milana the status of demigod bringing her back to life essentially it would be a Modified version of how Hercules proves himself as a true hero but okay even if they were dead set on having this moment be about her ancesters the order of singers is all wrong it should have gone Maui then tala then the other

ancestors this way the prayer is reaching back through the generations until it's heard by the greater Spirits I get that tala is a more significant person to Moana but she's not relevant in this movie so it winds up feeling like ahsoka's voice Cameo in Rise of Skywalker finally and this is more about the moment rather than the song Maui shouldn't have gotten his powers back his Arc in the franchise is all about humility and what is more humble than giving up immortality for the sake of someone you love but instead Maui loses nothing and this

moment feels incredibly cheap musically I love a chant like this it's powerful Primal and poignant all in equal measure I also really appreciate the choice not to use Any English lyrics in this song If you don't speak the language the song still works because the voices and visuals say everything you need to know I'd say The X Factor in this song is the transition from Maui's shaky voice to the spirit's confident singing It's a beat that always gives me chills and is the main reason I'll listen to this track over and over again this song

gets a three for narrative three for character five for music and a four for X Factor so With that in mind how does all this add up if we look at the averages Moana 1 leads Moana 2 in all four categories 4.4 to 2.8 in narrative 4.7 to 3.2 in character 4.5 to 3.8 in music and 3.8 to 3.8 in terms of X Factor the total scores for Moana 1 averaged out to 17.5 s out of 20 whereas the totals for Moana 2 averaged out to 13.83 looking at all these scores my major takeaway is

this even though there wasn't as big of a difference in the Scores as I might have expected there's definitely something unquantifiable that's lost within those few points the biggest downgrade between the soundtracks for Moana 1 and two is how they handle story and character so even though Manana 2's songs are fun to listen to out of context they feel lifeless when you watch the characters sing them in the movie at best the music in the sequel doesn't really progress the characters or the narrative and at Their worst they actively ignore what happened in the first

movie retroactively taking away from what made the original so great but but with that in mind I don't actually blame the songwriters it's difficult to give a character a meaningful Arc in a musical number if they don't have a meaningful Arc within the overall narrative and if there's one thing I took away from this movie it's that the filmmakers don't seem to know who Moana is anymore I'm Dylan and this has been the writers block