I Don't Like The Look Of Moana 2's Best Animated Feature Chances, But There's Another Oscars Category It Can Do Much Better In (2024)

Moana 2 is sailing into theaters this week, so of course the Disney animated sequel is top of mind when it comes to the 2025 Academy Awards. The first film was well-received by critics and went on to be nominated in the Best Animated Feature category. It ultimately lost to another Disney film, Zootopia, at the 2017 Oscars. Naturally, one might expect its splashy sequel to prove how far it can go this year — if only to prove that it can still win big despite the first film’s previous loss. But has Moana 2 proved itself a strong Oscars contender?

I’m not entirely convinced the sequel — which sees Moana reteaming with beloved demigod Maui on a new adventure — will be able to stand apart from its animated competition. Disney has a long history of winning the Best Animated Feature category; Pixar alone has won more than 10 Oscars over the years, while Disney Animated Studios has received four gold statuettes. But DreamWorks and Studio Ghibli have long been contenders with their respective animated output, and this year’s The Wild Robot, among others, might nip Moana 2’s Oscar chances in the bud before it has a chance to soar.

Moana 2 Faces Fierce Oscars Competition From Other 2024 Animations

The Wild Robot & Inside Out 2 Are Among Them

I do not doubt that Disney will launch a good Oscars campaign for Moana 2, but the truth is that the animation wasn’t even in the top 5 when the first wave of Oscar predictions began rolling out over a month ago. To be sure, Disney still has a strong foothold in the Animated Feature category, but if we’re comparing the two films they have out this year, then Inside Out 2 is a much stronger contender against Universal’s The Wild Robot, IFC’s Memoir of a Snail, and Netflix’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

Moana 2 will surely be a crowd-pleaser (regardless of its villain issues), but it falls behind its animated counterparts in terms of story and animation style. There’s an opportunity for Moana 2 to be nominated, but considering Moana failed to secure a win lowers the sequel’s chances. I think Inside Out 2 has a higher chance of winning the category because the first film actually won at the 2016 Oscars. Inside Out 2 has precedence that Moana 2 simply doesn’t have, as it seems unlikely a sequel film will be able to best its predecessor in the same category.

There’s also the fact that Pixar has won the Best Animated Feature category more often. Such factors play a big role in Moana 2’s Oscar chances. What’s more, movies like The Wild Robot have been universally beloved by both critics and audiences, which could edge out both Moana 2 and Inside Out 2, both of which are sequels that may have Academy voters feeling like they’ve been there, done that. Compared to the more original stories of The Wild Robot, Memoir of a Snail and Flow, Latvia’s official Oscars entry, Moana 2’s shot at winning is further diminished.

Moana 2 Has A Better Shot In The Best Original Song Category

"Beyond" Is The Standout From The Film

Moana 2 has a couple of good, catchy songs at least, and I gather it’ll have a much better chance at winning in the Best Original Song race than it does in the Best Animated Feature category. It’s a bit less of a competitive category than Animated Feature and its shot is even higher since Disney is submitting two of its songs — “Beyond” and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?”, which is sung by Dwayne Johnson’s Maui.

“Beyond” shows off Moana’s character growth and the stakes of her journey, as well as the beauty of Auli’i Cravalho’s voice. It’s a nice follow-up to “How Far I’ll Go,” but hits deeper than the 2016 song. It’s a personal song that fits well with the maturity of the sequel. Of the two songs, “Beyond” has a much better chance in the song category. “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” is fun but it’s also no “You’re Welcome.” “How Far I’ll Go” didn’t win in this category, but “Beyond” might prove Moana doesn’t need Lin-Manuel Miranda on board to win.

“Beyond” is also more accessible than some of the other songs that are in contention, such as “El Mal” from Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, while it’s on par with “Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot. It’s also up against a potential Diane Warren nomination, “The Journey” by H.E.R. from The Six Triple Eight, but for all the times the songwriter has been nominated she has yet to win an Oscar (only an honorary one).

“Beyond”’s biggest competition is probably Lainey Wilson’s “Out of Oklahoma,” from Twisters. One of the song’s writers, Shane McAnally, is a two-time Grammy winner. That said, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who composed “Beyond”, have also won a Grammy, so their chances for winning the Best Original Song category at the 2025 Oscars are even higher with that in mind. The Moana 2 song has a depth that some of the other potential nominees don’t have, and it could go so far as to inspire Academy voters.

Your Rating

10 stars9 stars8 stars7 stars6 star5 stars4 stars3 stars2 stars1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

6/10

7.9/10

Moana 2

PG

Animation

Comedy

Fantasy

Musical

Adventure

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.

Director

David G. Derrick Jr. , Jason Hand , Dana Ledoux Miller

Release Date

November 27, 2024

Studio(s)

Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios

Distributor(s)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Writers

Dana Ledoux Miller , Jared Bush , Jason Hand , Ron Clements , John Musker

Cast

Auli'i Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Alan Tudyk , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Nicole Scherzinger , Hualālai Chung , David Fane , Rose Matafeo , Awhimai Fraser , Gerald Ramsey , Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda

Character(s)

Moana , Maui , Hei Hei , Tala , Chief Tui , Sina , Moni , Kele , Loto , Matangi , Tautai Vasa , Simea

Runtime

100 Minutes

prequel(s)

Moana