With a hidden island to find and a powerful god to battle, there’s plenty at stake for Moana and Maui in Moana 2 – thankfully, the ending of the sequel sees them get home safe. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)
Three years after Moana first became a wayfinder, she’s taken to the ocean yet again in search of the island of Motufetu. By finding the island, she can reunite the people of the ocean, and gets as close as she can with the help of her new crew, and of course, Maui.
They battle bat gods and Kakamora on their way to find the island, which is being guarded by the vengeful god known as Nalo.
So, do they defeat Nalo? Does the magical Motufetu finally come back to the surface? Here’s what you need to know about the Moana 2 ending.
Moana ending explained: The crew heads to Motufetu
When the crew has a new boat and fresh motivation, they band together and head to Motufetu so they can face Nalo head-on. The plan? The crew will distract Nalo while Maui uses his hook and god strength to pull Motufetu up from the ocean floor.
When they arrive, Nalo is ready and waiting. He uses his ocean powers to chase them down with hurricanes and tornadoes, all while Maui is using his shapeshifting powers to fly around and cut down the tornadoes.
It’s a tough task, and Moana soon realizes that it’s all for nothing if Maui can’t pull up the island. She discovers that it’s not Maui Nalo is interested in – it’s Moana and her crew. She tells Maui to focus on hooking the island while they attempt to outrun Nalo by making unpredictable moves.
Maui is gravely injured
They succeed for a while, and Maui starts pulling up Motufetu. But there’s a crisis when Nalo strikes Maui with lightning, which takes away his demigod powers (and his tattoos). Maui lets go of the hook and falls into the ocean, with Moana screaming his name. Meanwhile, their boat is destroyed.
Moana has another realization: the only way to get to the island is to use “the other way”. Instead of pulling the island up, she dives down and swims towards it. Nalo takes notice, and quickly sends lightning strikes down into the water.
Moana swims towards the island, and it’s a race between her and Nalo as to who can achieve their goal first. Thankfully, she manages to reach down and touch the surface of the island, seconds before she’s struck by lightning. The waters calm and Nalo soon disappears, his powers weakened by the awakening of Motufetu.
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Motufetu rises again
Maui is saved by Loto, Kele, and Moni while floating in the water. But when he awakes, he sees Moana isn’t there and dives down, where her lifeless body floats in the water. The ocean moves around them to create a bubble of air, but Moana doesn’t appear to be moving.
Maui sings to her, summoning her ancestors around them. Her grandmother appears and chants to her, and glowing tattoos soon appear on Moana’s arm. Suddenly, she awakens. Maui’s tattoos also return, and the two rise up from the water.
Maui hooks onto the island and pulls it out from the ocean. The crew jump onto the land and reunite, while Moana celebrates her new demigod status.
They find a map on the wall, with etchings of the different islands connected to the ocean. It takes a moment, but suddenly, they hear the call of a boat heading towards them. Then, several more boats turn up, proving that there really had been other people out there this whole time.
The people of the ocean return home
Back on the island of Motunui, Moana’s little sister Simea is sitting by the water, waiting for Moana to come home. Maui suddenly lands on the island, stunning the inhabitants. After he gifts Simea a present from her sister, they look out onto the water and see Moana, Loto, Kele, and Moni returning.
Behind them, there’s also hundreds of other boats, with the people of the ocean all coming to make themselves known. When Moana reaches land, she embraces her family.
The movie ends with Moana and her crew once again setting out for adventure, with the ocean an entirely new place now that the people have found each other again.
That’s the Moana 2 ending! The new movie is playing in theaters now, so check out our Moana 2 review to see what we thought. Don’t miss our list of the best animated movies, and see what’s going on with the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake.
