Settle down, the Moana 2026 live-action remake is not a complete disaster
Was it necessary? No, of course not. The original film is only 10 years old and its power hasn’t waned. But is it a disaster? Also no.
Let’s get the elephant out of the way: No, this Moana live-action remake is absolutely not necessary.
It’s only been 10 years since the animated film was released, and it is still a top-class, superb movie that is deeply beloved and highly relevant. You watch it today, and none of its power was waned. It didn’t need an update.
But Disney did it anyway because that’s what movie studios do, they see an opportunity to maybe make a billion dollars and they take it. It’s a fact of life, you can’t fight it. If every greenlight decision was made purely on artistic integrity, this new version of Moana wouldn’t exist, but it does.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Does it live up to the original? Absolutely not. Is it a disaster? No. It’s fine, for what it is. And on the spectrum of Disney live-action remakes, it’s somewhere in the middle, well above the misadventures of Aladdin and Snow White.
In an almost shot-for-shot remake, the film retells the story of Moana, the daughter of the chief of the village of Motunui. They were once a voyaging people but generations have now remained on the island and the great ships hidden in a cave behind a waterfall.
Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) is drawn to the water despite her father’s protestations, and his decree that no one must venture beyond the barrier reef. When a plague hits Motunui and the plants die off and there are no fish left, Moana takes to the ocean with one mission.
She will find the fallen demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and have him restore the heart to the goddess Te Fiti, which he stole 1000 years earlier, which will then revive Motunui.
Moana is a story of discovery and empowerment, and in that sense, this version is powered by this undeniably feelgood narrative and character arc. You love Moana because she’s awesome. That’s all borrowed from the 2016 film.
Now, let’s talk about what’s different if it’s so similar.
Obviously, the live-action has a slightly grounding effect, especially in the first half-hour before all the magical realism hijinks of sentient coconuts, the realm of monsters and giant singing crabs (Jemaine Clement, reprising his voice role), and a fearsome opponent made out of lava.
The special effects are fine, even, at times, bordering on impressive, particularly in the final sequence when Moana and Te Ka meet face-to-face. Water effects are always tricky and while this isn’t Avatar-level CGI, it still works.
Moana is Sydney-sider Laga’aia’s first feature film, and she was 17 years old and contending with her year 12 exams when she was shooting. She is often excellent, if a little inconsistent, and has great screen presence, holding her own next to someone as experienced as Johnson.
Johnson, who voiced Maui in the animation, was always going to be the one to play the live-action role, and for kids who grew up on the original, hearing the same voice is going to be a big deal.
But, you can’t help but wonder what if they had cast someone else, someone younger, someone with more of a chaotic energy. Johnson’s performance is too grounded for this anarchic trickster demi-god. There needed to be more oomph, more pizazz, a lot more playfulness.
The film suffers from an overall inconsistency where some sequences soar and others feel flat. Laga’aia’s rendition of the film’s signature song, How Far I’ll Go, is first-rate, but the fan-favourite You’re Welcome plays like a cheesy mid-1990s video clip running on Saturday Disney.
Where there is value in this film’s existence is there is something tangibly different in representing Pacific cultures as not a cartoon but as real human beings.
There’s a greater sense of triumph and pride in those flashback scenes of Moana’s wayfinding ancestors sailing across the ocean, set to Opetaia Foa’i and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s exquisite song, We Know the Way.
That’s a deeper connection kids from all over the can make to the wider world they live in, whether they have Polynesian heritage or not. These cultures and these people are real, even in this mythical tale.
So, this version of Moana is a cash-grab by Disney, sure, but if there are ancillary benefits to its existence beyond that box office gross, then it can’t all be bad.
