If “Moana 2” seems like it was released remarkably quickly for a major Hollywood animated movie, that’s because up until earlier this year, it was being developed as a TV series for Disney Plus, not a theatrical feature film.
Opening Wednesday in theaters, “Moana 2” still feels a bit like on overgrown TV series, or one of the small-scale animated sequels that Disney released direct-to-video in the 1990s and 2000s. It’s a mildly entertaining return to the world of the first movie, but it lacks the excitement and wonder that made the original “Moana” such a hit.
