Moana 3 Should Focus On A Different Demigod Team-Up With Maui’s New Replacement

Warning: This text accommodates SPOILERS for Moana 2.Disney’s newest hit sequel, Moana 2, has lastly been launched digitally, obtainable for buy on various platforms. The movie continues the place the earlier film left off, telling the story of Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) as she travels across the ocean, attempting to reunite the disparate islands of her folks. Moana 2 received mixed reviews, with numerous the negativity pointed on the uneven pacing and underwritten plot, however one of many issues the film did fairly nicely was its introduction of latest characters.

With Moana 3 all however confirmed at this level, the largest query surrounding the way forward for the Moana franchise is what ramifications the latest movie could have on the broader universe. Moana 2‘s post-credits scene hints at what’s coming subsequent, with a brand new main antagonist having been arrange all through the course of the movie. Nonetheless, there may be one facet of the collection as of now that deserves additional exploration, that being the team-ups between the brand new demigods of the Moana universe.

Moana 3 Is Certain To Have A Demigod Workforce-Up Story

Demigod Workforce-Ups Are A Staple Of The Moana Sequence Now

When Moana 3 finally releases, one facet that’s primarily assured to occur is a team-up between the demigod characters that we’ve got been launched to thus far, particularly contemplating that Moana herself turns into a demigod in Moana 2‘s ending. The primary two movies have carried out nicely with this sort of story, the second arguably even higher than its predecessor, so it completely stands to motive that when Moana 3 is storyboarded, it would keep this trope of the collection.

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Within the unique film from 2016, although Moana is not a demigod herself, Maui (Dwayne Johnson) clearly is. The 2 of them act because the central duo all through the story, with The Ocean serving as the same allied pressure. The second movie has a way more specific model of this narrative, as Moana turns into a demigod and groups up with Maui to push again Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i) and raise the island Motufetu, on prime of turning into momentary allies with one other demigod, Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), when she rescues Moana from Nalo’s jail.

Matangi Ought to Be Moana’s Subsequent Demigod Workforce-Up

Matangi Is The Apparent Selection For this Function

Actress Awhimai Fraser as Matangi in Moana 2.

Matangi is introduced in Moana 2 as one other demigod, themed round bats, with some imprecise, vampire-like talents; she does not have any official area, at the least none which are talked about within the film. She begins as a villain, working for the movie’s fundamental antagonist Nalo, primarily being a bodyguard and enforcer and serving him fully. Nonetheless, over the course of the movie, it’s revealed that Matangi does not like working below Nalo, and has been performing at his behest in opposition to her will.

Matangi’s identify is probably going derived from the phrase “Matagi”, which implies “wind” in a number of Polynesian languages.

Whereas Matangi nonetheless works for Nalo at the end of Moana 2, she did what she may to assist the protagonist escape and reunite with Maui and her associates, which in the end led to their victory. Moana and Matangi develop a fast rapport throughout their preliminary assembly, and that relationship may simply be expanded upon with future installments within the collection. Moana and Matangi turning into precise allies could be an incredible course for the collection to go, constructing upon the quick interactions that they’d in Moana 2.

Moana 2 Already Set Up How Matangi & Moana Can Work Collectively

Moana 2 ends with an interesting setup for Moana 3, lastly displaying Nalo’s true kind, having him berate Matangi for her failure to cease Moana and Maui, and depicting him gaining extra villainous allies, particularly Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement) from the primary film. With Matangi’s dissatisfaction with working below Nalo, and the truth that he appears to know that she betrayed him as soon as already, her eventual reunion with Moana appears inevitable, with the 2 of them teaming as much as lastly take down Nalo for good.

Part of the plot of Moana 3 will in all probability contain breaking no matter binds Matangi to Nalo.

How this alliance will finally come to be is one other matter solely, as there are numerous completely different ways in which these character’s paths may cross once more because the story continues. The simplest reply could be that Matangi merely defects and joins the new demigod Moana and her allies, however the film implies that there’s a supernatural pressure maintaining her certain in servitude to Nalo, even when she is ready to act in opposition to his will, as she proves by saving Moana and Maui.

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Matangi says that she has been in Nalo’s service for 1000 years, so she doubtless will not have the ability to simply go away as a result of she desires to, and part of the plot of Moana 3 will in all probability contain breaking no matter binds Matangi to Nalo. Nonetheless, the subsequent film within the collection could have numerous floor to cowl, so it doubtless will not be the central driving pressure behind the narrative, as the specter of Nalo needs to be centered on as the first story being instructed.

Moana & Matangi Teaming Up In Moana 3 Would Be Higher Than One other Maui Workforce-Up

The Moana Sequence Wants To Keep Recent & Evolve

In a franchise like Moana, which, primarily based on the success of the second film, goes to proceed for fairly a while, a very powerful ingredient in retaining folks’s curiosity is to make sure that subsequent releases do not feel too repetitive, maintaining issues feeling contemporary with every new venture. Whereas Moana and Maui have an incredible relationship all through the films, it has been explored very completely, and whereas there may be definitely extra materials to mine from that pairing, altering up the central crew is significant to maintaining the collection from feeling stale.

That is not to say that Maui should not be current within the franchise going ahead, however his presence could also be finest suited to being extra of a facet character, versus one of many fundamental crew.

As Matangi has already been launched, and her objectives appear to align very carefully with Moana’s, their pairing merely is smart and could be a good way of blending issues up. Moana’s human friends are a significant change in Moana 2, so the collection is clearly open to adjusting who the central characters are, and Matangi looks as if the apparent subsequent step. Whether or not she totally joins the crew proper at the beginning of no matter’s subsequent for the franchise, or whether or not their alliance is extra of a gradual burn all through the sequel, this team-up could be a pure evolution.

Nonetheless, that is not to say that Maui should not be current within the franchise going ahead, however his presence could also be finest suited to being extra of a facet character, versus one of many fundamental crew. Dwayne Johnson, Maui’s voice actor, is a large star, and it might be silly to decrease his function an excessive amount of, as he is likely one of the most iconic characters within the collection. Moana 2 exhibits that he nonetheless has lots to supply, however repeating the identical factor for the sequel may come off as lazy and uninspired.