“Moana 2” takes the titular wayfinder of Motunui (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho) on another musical adventure with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), and even though it’s not quite as good as its predecessor, it’s still a satisfying, sentimental sequel. While Moana is joined by a new roster of characters on the seas, not to mention the timid pig Pua along for the ride with the dimwitted chicken Hei Hei this time, there are some other familiar faces on the oceans.
Well, actually, you can’t see their faces, because they’re obscured by little coconut masks.
That’s right, we’re talking about the Kakamora. Described by Maui in the first movie as “murdering little pirates,” these cute but menacing little balls of danger patrol the seas in a massive vessel that can break into smaller ships, and they’re back in “Moana 2.” While they can easily surround ships with their versatile vessel, once in closer proximity, their trademark attack comes in the form of darts that instantly paralyze whoever they strike. When the Kakamora show up in “Moana 2,” we’re expecting another hilarious “Mad Max”-esque confrontation between our heroes and these coconut rascals. However, while Moana and her pals do end up on the wrong end of Kakamora darts, they soon learn that there’s more to these little dudes and dudettes than meets the eye.
There’s much more-a to the Kakamora in Moana 2
In “Moana 2,” our heroine is looking to resurface the island of Motufetu, which previously served as an island that connected various tribes on other islands around the world. After it was banished to the bottom of the ocean by another demigod called Nalo, who has taken the form of a massive storm of tornadoes and lightning that keeps anyone from, the navigation paths across the sea that allowed the diverse populations of the world to find each other were lost. But that’s not all that was lost.
It turns out that the Kakamora aren’t just vicious pirates out to create trouble for no reason. Instead, they’ve just been scouring the sea trying to find their way back home. Since bringing Motufetu back to the surface will finally help them in their quest, they decide to help Moana and her crew. In fact, one of them, named Kotu, even joins them on their journey.
“Moana 2” takes these one-dimensional villains from the first movie and turns them into more than just a nuisance. They’re just one of the many other civilizations out there who can benefit from everyone being reconnected through Motufetu. Thankfully, it doesn’t feel like a forced heel-turn, because it’s not hard to understand how being away from home for such a long time would make anyone turn into vicious pirates. That’s especially true when their only other company is the giant green blobfish that secretes the poison they use in their darts. Try being stuck on the ocean and see how long it takes for you to become a bitter buccaneer.
Here’s to hoping that we get to see more of the Kakamora if “Moana 3” comes to fruition, as teased in the film’s mid-credits sequence. But maybe it’s time they get a bit more musical than just banging on their little drums.