Disney live action films, and their impact on contemporary cinema, have long been scrutinised, but this new live action Moana feels particularly egregious. The animated Moana, a rightfully beloved gem, isn’t even 10 years old yet as of writing this. To give it a diluted live action “upgrade” when, relatively speaking, so little time has passed, feels criminally barefaced. At least this newest film is consistent with many of its brethren in that it’s a small breeze compared to the high tide of its animated counterpart.
Chances are you already know the story from watching the animated version. To do the usual spiel of recounting the plot feels redundant as 85+% of this film is word for word, and at times even shot for shot, identical to 2016’s animation. One is reminded of Gus Van Sant’s 1998 Psycho remake, the visual parallels are that similar, from imagery to dialogue to even the delivery of certain punchlines and musical notes. If there are deviations, such as the build up to fan favourite song “You’re Welcome”, then they’re delivered in an unwieldy nudge nudge, wink wink fashion. It’s a committed replication, but the lack of novelty begs the question of what’s stopping audiences from just staying home and watching the superior animation.
The story: Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) is a free spirited teenager of a Polyneisan tribe. Island settlers in tune with the land they harvest, Moana dreams of exploring the sea and adventuring beyond the reef, much to the chagrin of her father the chief (John Tui). When her island’s resources begin dying, Moana learns that this was caused by the Demigod Maui, who stole a magical object, the Heart of Te Fiti, unwittingly unleashing a plague across the Pacific Ocean. Wishing to save her people, Moana is chosen by the ocean itself to journey across the sea and return the Heart of Te Fiti.
The efforts of the costume and art departments don’t go unappreciated. Translating the invigorating colours and detailed character designs of its predecessor into live action is no easy feat. Yet that same love and admiration for Polynesian culture, which inspired much of the animated film’s visual look and colour palette, is recaptured faithfully here, making the production design quite lustrous in its best moments. The bizarre exception to this rule is Maui – played once again by Dwayne Johnson. Where the costuming and makeup of Moana and the other human characters physically showcase, and even brighten, their deeper qualities, Maui looks like a bad cosplay, with Johnson’s obvious wig standing out like a sore thumb. It’s a rather wooden recreation, a baffling outcome considering Johnson’s voicework in the same role 10 years prior is some of his best acting. His 2016 performance is charming, humorous, and even deceptively emotional where his live action repeat is oddly clunky.
As Moana voyages past her island’s borders, the storyline plays the exact same way. She encounters Maui, an uneasy alliance is born, and they fight sea monsters and inner turmoil in pursuit of their goals. The plot beats are the same but they’re also lesser, coming across like awkward attempts at remembrance rather than impassioned efforts to tell the same story in a new way. Physically speaking, the duplication is admirable, but visually the film is often lacking. Particularly during its night time scenes, the lighting is so murky that one can barely make out what’s happening. The special effects are the definition of hit and miss. The water sequences on the ocean have their moments, but the CGI on certain animals, namely Hei Hei the chicken, and the periodic green screen are so fake looking that they may have been imported from a cheaper film. Even some of the audio mixing sounds as though it was ripped straight from its predecessor rather than freshly recorded, as sound effects are recycled with abandon.
Despite being almost the exact same runtime as before, 2026’s Moana has an overwhelming feeling of being rushed in execution. The editing plays a big part in this as the cutaways and lack of lingering, be it on the musical numbers, action scenes or key character exchanges, creates the impression of a picture skimming through a checklist rather than telling a story. It actively sucks the emotional resonance out of the narrative, which was paramount to making the animated one work as well as it did. Strong casting quells this to some extent, but not enough to prevent the overall film from feeling like the trundling of a conveyor belt instead of the dramatic unfolding of an epic tale.
Some critics have labelled this new Moana the worst of the Disney live action remakes. I’m certainly no fan, as highlighted by all of the above, but I wouldn’t go quite that far. Unlike The Lion King or Dumbo remakes, which actively bastardised their source material through clumsy creative choices, this film might hold up reasonably okay for someone unfamiliar with the animated version, even if its execution is scattershot. A picture that copies its predecessor so closely is bound to recapture at least some of its charms.
Case in point are the songs. From “How Far I’ll Go” to “You’re Welcome” to “I Am Moana”, the animated version boasted a spectrum of wonderful, heart wrenching songs, all of which this live action film utilises too. Even if the choreography and editing are stilted and restricted by its medium, as opposed to the creative, exaggerated freedom of animation, these are still marvellous songs with powerful lyrics and resonant sentiments in their core. Catherine Laga’aia delivers some of the comedic beats rather well, even if her stoic approach to Moana can undermine the more dramatic moments, but her singing voice is truly dazzling. Whole hearted and passionate, her performance, and the film at large, comes alive in these musical numbers. One wishes the rest of the picture had been as lively, even if nostalgia is doing much of the heavy lifting.
Dreamworks started doing live action remakes as well last year, starting with a live action How to Train Your Dragon. That film, like this version of Moana, was also 80% or so verbatim with its animated version, rendering its necessity highly questionable. However, it was much more tolerable by comparison because it adapted to the live action medium through its physical actors and special effects. This new Moana struggles to make the same transition, amounting to a film that’s, at worst, awkward and, at best, only sparsely enjoyable. Virtually the textbook definition of unimaginative, the film has its charms, but ultimately feels superficial, both as a remake and as a picture in its own right.
Moana (2026) is now in cinemas
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Director: Thomas Kail
Writers: Jared Bush and Dana Ladeoux Miller (based on Disney’s Moana)
Stars: Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui
Runtime: 115 minutes
Country: USA
