Ready for another live-action remake of an animated Disney classic? No? Well, too bad because here comes Moana, the live-action film no one was asking for.
Moana’s just the latest in a string of Disney’s animated classics that have been redeveloped and made into live-action versions. It joins a way-too-long list that includes Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, The Jungle Book, Aladdin, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Snow White, and, most recently, Lilo & Stitch.
The story is the same as the beloved 2016 original film. Polynesian teenager and daughter of a village chief, Moana (played here by Catherine Laga’aia), is called by the water to save her island and her people from the great darkness that has reached her island home of Motunui. The great darkness (an ancient curse) is causing the coconuts to rot and the fish to die.
Moana desperately wants to help her people and feels a strong connection to the ocean. It speaks to her and helps her in her quest, just like in the animated classic.
Moana’s grandmother Tala (Rena Owen) takes Moana to a secret cave filled with old boats, and here is where Moana learns that she and her people were not originally from the island but in fact are voyagers who traveled the oceans. This all ended when Te Fiti was lost to the depths of the ocean after the shapeshifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) tried to steal it. Tala assures Moana that the ocean has chosen her to go out, travel the seas, find Maui, and together return Te Fiti. So, Moana sets off on her big ocean quest to find the demigod.
This turns out to be way more difficult than she or her grandmother expected because when Moana does find the self-absorbed demigod, he has absolutely no interest in her foolish little quest. He is interested, however, in stealing her boat and finding his magical silver fishhook, which gives him his shapeshifting powers. The fishhook was lost during his battle with the lava demon Te Kā. But no matter how hard Maui tries to ditch Moana, she refuses to be left behind or give up on trying to convince him to help her and her people.
Disney’s live-action Moana is nothing more than a shot-by-shot, soulless remake of a wonderful animated movie classic. It is unnecessary and unwanted. This 2026 version is missing the charm, heart, and magic of the original film. It’s just not there on screen and worse yet, when the filmmakers attempt to recreate it, it comes across as forced and falls flat.
Newcomer Catherine Laga’aia looks the part of Moana but does not capture the spirit and strength of the character. This is painfully obvious, especially in her scenes with Dwayne Johnson, returning this time in person as Maui. There’s zero chemistry between the two, and Laga’aia fails to embody Moana’s sass and spunk when trying to convince the demigod to help her. It was that attitude and chemistry between Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated film, which gave it its heart. That, and the breathtaking animation and the original beautiful songs made the 2016 Oscar-nominated animated film a modern-day classic.
Another issue is the overuse of CGI to create the water coming alive as well as the fire demon in the big battle scene near the end of the film. This version is almost cringe-inducing. It’s a perfect example of too much CGI hurting a film instead of enhancing it.
Moviegoers should skip his empty remake and instead go and watch the original Moana again to experience the wonder and magic it holds for viewers of all ages.
GRADE: D
Rating: PG for brief thematic elements, action/peril, rude humor, and some scary images
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
Release Date: July 10, 2026
Directed By: Thomas Kail