A strong matchup is in store today with this Versus segment. Walt Disney Animation Studio's newest film "Moana 2" goes to battle against Netflix and Skydance Animation's "Spellbound". The latter has plenty of Disney and DreamWorks alumni involved in its production. Directors, musical composers, the whole nine yards. As far as their quality overall, this seemed like an ideal matchup. Current Disney against those who used to be at Disney. The usual three categories will be used to judge these two.
Round 1: Presentation
With numerous Disney alumni involved in creating "Spellbound", it's no surprise that the similarity to Disney's current animation style is uncanny. It's so similar in fact that you can take your typical modern Disney film, pair this with it side by side, and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. That's also a primary weakness for both films in a way in that neither one feels quite that distinctive. Yes, each film has their own setting. "Moana 2" is obviously set in the tropical oceans and islands, as opposed to a typical magical kingdom in "Spellbound".
For the most part though, you've been to places like these before in many prior animated features, including the original "Moana". There are three reasons that the nod marginally goes to "Moana 2". There's slightly more of a range to the facial expressions, especially when the characters are singing. The tropical setting is a place I personally want to escape to more on the big screen. Also, the visual scope of "Moana 2" is quite pronounced on the big screen in comparison to the smaller scale of "Spellbound".
Round 1 Winner: Moana 2
Round 2: Audio
I thought both films would have better soundtracks than what we got. You've got legendary Disney alum Alan Menken doing the music for "Spellbound". The end result feels too familiar to "Frozen" and flat on its own terms. That's something I should never say for the composer who brought us the songs and score of "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Any score from Alan Menken shouldn't be described by anyone as forgettable. And yet, that's sadly the case with "Spellbound".
It's not much better talking about the music to "Moana 2". Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn't return this time, but his fellow co-horts did and his absence is noticable. None of the new songs stick. I recall rolling my eyes at an annoying comic relief song in both films. The problem with each soundtrack isn't that they're terrible or anything of that sort. They just fail to resonate, and they play it fairly safe with what they bring to the table. I appreciate the full scale of the orchestra in "Spellbound", even if I can't hum a melody to save my hide.
The voice over work is just fine though for both films. "Spellbound" specifically has a reasonably loaded roster with its voiceover cast. Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow and Nathan Lane are all in there. "Moana 2" has Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson returning to their lead roles from the original. I thought picking a winner for audio would be impossible. But after further reflection, "Spellbound" just had a few more minor advantages going for it.
Round 2 Winner: Spellbound
Round 3: Content
Both films share a common characteristic with their overall narrative quality. They both suffer from a lack of originality. You've seen these stories before, and done better no less. "Moana 2" hits similar story beats from the first film, albeit with a dose of some self-congratulatory exchanges in the first half. Moana's younger baby sister is basically her biggest cheerleader. This character got rather tiresome fairly quickly. "Moana 2" is one of those films where everything and nothing occurs both at the same time.
In other words, for all the events that ensue in the narrative, somehow nothing remotely resonates in the least. There is a typical cliche found in most Disney films that's present here in the climax and it's a tired, old one that I don't miss. I'll outright admit that "Moana 2" ranks amongst Disney's most forgettable animated films in recent memory, certainly since "Frozen II". It's not that it's incompetently put together as much as it's simply a retread of what we're already familiar with.
That's also what "Spellbound" is as well. This "original" story is basically a variation on "Brave", "Beauty and the Beast", "Shrek" and roughly 50% of animated films from the 1980's to now. The protagonist's parents are monsters and they all set out on a quest to make them human again. It's a cookie cutter narrative with hardly anything new to bring to the table, except for one well-placed element in the climax.
Without giving anything away, the narrative provides a perfectly defined reason for why these royal parents are cursed. It tackles a tough scenario that's not addressed often in animated films. As someone who's seen their own parent's relationship go down the path it did, I can vouch for this plot point adding much needed levity and narrative meat. It's for this reason alone that "Spellbound" has the upper hand in the narrative category overall.
Round 3 Winner: Spellbound
Overall, I found both these animated films to be complete letdowns. You have better animated offerings available from this year alone to keep both kids and adults entertained, namely "Inside Out 2" and "Transformers One ". I feel bad about bashing "Moana 2", considering that my niece is a fan of the character and the first film was fun, in spite of some minor flaws. But that's the way the cookie crumbles I'm afraid.
I'll say this much though. If the choice is between a third animated "Moana" offering or a live-action "Moana" film (which is in production), I'm choosing the former no question. Even if it was another rehash, at least I know one thing will be new. I can't say the same for the latter option. And seeing that Disney's future lineup is basically either sequels or remakes, I feel that the creative department has clearly run out of gas. It's depressing, because Disney used to be a beacon of creativity. Now they seem to be stuck in their laurels.
The winner of this match-up for me, albeit just barely, is "Spellbound". Yes, the climax plays a factor into that. But unlike "Moana 2", "Spellbound" is ready to go as part of a Netflix subscription. So you don't have to worry about spending an additional $15-20 per ticket to see it in a theatre. And in this day and age where more people need to be smart about their money, especially for entertainment, these benefits can't be ignored. And when both films are in the middle of the road, that's important to keep in mind.
Final Verdict: Moana 2: 5.5/10
Spellbound: 6/10
WINNER: SPELLBOUND
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