Moana (2026)
Directed by: Thomas Kail
Premise: A live action remake of the 2016 film. The native people of a Polynesian island face the collapse of their crops and fish stocks due to an ancient curse. Moana, the daughter of the chief (Catherine Laga’aia), voyages across the ocean to find Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a demigod who can end the curse.
What Works: Disney’s live action remakes have historically done well at the box office and viewers have tended to reward fealty to the original. 2026’s Moana is made for that audience. Like 2019’s The Lion King, the live action version of Moana literally recreates its predecessor. The cast of the remake includes Rena Owen as Moana’s grandmother and she has a terrific screen presence, conveying wisdom and love but also humor.
What Doesn’t: Moana imitates its predecessor even more closely than other Disney remakes. The story, the music, and several of the cast members are all the same. There is no effort to improve or innovate on the material. The filmmakers don’t even try. 2026’s Moana is nearly a shot-for-shot remake of its 2016 predecessor and none of the material is done any better. It repeats all the jokes, telling them exactly the same way, down to the editing and the line delivery. The live action remake is inferior to the original animated feature in every way. That deficit is most obvious in the musical numbers. The original film visually complemented the songs in ways that were funny and creative and had a sense of rhythm. The musical set pieces of the remake are clumsy and inert. The filmmaking lacks musicality in its action and editing. Also inferior are the two lead performances. Dwayne Johnson reprises the role of Maui but the animated version of this character was more interesting and more expressive. Playing Moana, Catherine Laga’aia proves to be a very good singer but her acting performance is often wooden and awkward. Johnson and Laga’aia don’t have much on screen chemistry. The filmmakers’ slavish adherence to the original animated film results in visual elements that don’t make sense in the live action format. Moana’s pet rooster was originally conceived as a comedic cartoon character. The live action version is the same. This is also true of the Kakamora (the coconut pirates) and Maui’s tattoos. These things worked in animation but they don’t fit in live action and the filmmakers don’t even attempt to adapt them to the different format. As a live action movie, Moana often looks fake. Much of this was obviously shot on a green screen set. The lighting is off, keeping the actors from blending into the environs, and the costumes and sets look artificial.
Bottom Line: 2026’s Moana is insultingly lazy. Even on its own terms, this is shoddy work. As a remake, the film has no reason to exist and its makers mount no effort to even try to find one. Moana is artistically bankrupt and contemptuous of the audience.
Episode: #1108 (July 19, 2026)