Moana (2026) Disney/Musical-Adventure RT: 115 minutes Rated PG (action/peril, some scary images, rude humor, brief thematic elements) Director: Thomas Kail Screenplay: Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller Music: Mark Mancina Cinematography: Oscar Faura Release date: July 10, 2026 (US) Cast: Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Jemaine Clement.
Rating: **
The problem with the live-action Moana isn’t that it’s a bad movie. It has the same problem as most other live-action remakes of Disney’s classic animated films. It’s unnecessary. In fact, it might be the most unnecessary one yet. It’s only been ten years since the animated original came out. The sequel Moana 2 is less than two years old. Disney definitely jumped the gun with this one.
Should I even bother with a plot description? There aren’t any major differences between the animated and live-action versions of Moana. It’s the same movie save for a few minor details (e.g. the tweeting joke is gone, the dad’s backstory is slightly changed). The one new song, “Along the Way” by Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson and original Moana voice Auli’i Cravalho, is played over the end credits. You may as well just cue up the animated OG on Disney+.
[Insert audible annoyed sigh here] Alright, fine. I’ll do it (again). HOWEVER, I’m going to do it the easy way. I’ll be copying the PD from my review of the animated version and pasting it here (with a few slight alterations). Work smarter not harder I always say.
Moana (newcomer Laga’aia), the 15YO daughter of a Polynesian village chief, is next in line to inherit the title, but she dreams of a life on the ocean. Her father (Tui, Hobbs & Shaw) says it’s too dangerous to travel beyond the reef and for good reason. Legend has it 1000 years earlier; the demigod Maui (Johnson, the Fast & Furious movies) stole the heart of island goddess Te Fiti, angering her and turning her into a lava monster.
All her life, her father and mother (Adams, The Expanse) have repeatedly told her to stay away from the water. That’s a lot to ask considering the ocean chose her, as a small child, to restore the heart of Te Fiti. It’s her destiny. The only one that understands is her grandmother Tala (Owen, Once Were Warriors). The two share a deep bond over their mutual love of the water. At one point, the older woman takes the girl to a secret cavern where she learns the real history of her ancestors. They were once voyagers, but gave it up when Maui’s actions made the ocean unsafe for travel.
Te Fiti’s curse has started to affect Moana’s home. The survival of her people is at stake. She can’t get her father to listen to her about how to fix the problem. The plucky teen finally decides to take matters into her own hands. Along with her dimwitted pet rooster Heihei, she sets off beyond the reef to save her home.
A typhoon strands her on a small island where Maui, stripped of his powers, has been living a prisoner since the whole Te Fiti thing went down. Moana needs the disgraced demigod to come with her and return the purloined object to its rightful place. It’ll fix everything. It takes a bit of persuading, but he agrees to help her. First, he needs to retrieve his magic fishhook, a gift from the gods that gives him the power to shapeshift.
I can’t think of a single good reason for Moana to exist. Thomas Kail (Fosse/Verdon), who directs listlessly, brings nothing new or extra. It has no visual allure. Although it was shot on location in Hawaii, the lighting imbues it with an artificial feel like it was made in a studio. The CGI is okay, nothing special. To its credit, the chicken Heihei is nowhere near as creepy as the seven dwarfs in last year’s Snow White fiasco. Sadly, this is of no consequence. There isn’t anything eye catching in Moana, not even the sequence with the crab Tamatoa (Clement reprising his role from the OG) or any of the musical numbers. It’s dull and lifeless to the point of inducing sleep.
While I can’t justify the existence of Moana, I think I might know why Disney chose to do it now rather than later. Dwayne Johnson, who looks like he’s having fun here, is 54 and not getting any younger. He’s in great shape and can still do the physical things the role requires. That might not be true in another ten years. By then, Disney will have to replace Johnson and we all know how that tends to go. I’ve never met a soul who admits to liking Will Smith (taking over for the late Robin Williams) as Genie in Aladdin (2019).
This is the film debut of Catherine Laga’aia. She’s something of a novice. She acted in a few episodes of the Australian miniseries The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (as the younger version of Moana co-star Frankie Adams’ character) before she was cast in the title role of her first movie. She’s easy on the eyes, but that’s about it. Her acting leaves a lot to be desired. For whatever reason, Laga’aia seems like she isn’t into it. She’s fairly wooden in the role. The character should be more animated (if you’ll excuse the term).
It doesn’t say much for Moana that a little girl (about 4YO maybe) in my row couldn’t sit still. She chattered the whole time, repeatedly saying “It’s too long!” out loud. If a movie like Moana can’t keep a child interested, I’d say it fails in its mission. And fail it does! It’s not the worst of its kind, but its further proves what I’ve been saying about these live-action Disney remakes. They need to stop and NOW! Seriously, save yourself the time and money and just rewatch the animated versions with your children. Keep the classics alive.
