There is one sequence in the remake of Moana that feels like it was worth all the time, effort, and money necessary to translate a very good animated movie into live-action. The only special effect it requires is Dwayne Johnson’s charisma. Otherwise, this new interpretation falls prey to the issue that continues to plague this subgenre: A struggle to justify its existence, beyond Disney making new money off old ideas.
Plot and Characters
Those familiar with the 2016 original won’t be surprised by any plot twists or turns here. The story begins with a quick recap of a myth in which the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole and lost the heart of a goddess, leading to the spread of evil throughout the world. Then, we meet young islander Moana (Catherine Laga’aia), who reveals a magical connection with the ocean that follows her into young adulthood.
About to come of age, our heroine is being prepared for future chiefdom by her parents (John Tui, Frankie Adams) when the island’s food supplies become unsustainable — inspired by her beloved grandmother (Rena Owen), Moana sets out beyond the reefs of her island to find Maui and get him to fix what he broke.
From there, it’s all tiny coconut pirates and shiny crabs and shapeshifting fun; you know all the songs, and they still largely rule. Like all live-action remakes, this Moana is longer than the animated version, though in this case it’s only a matter of eight minutes, speaking to a little extra padding in some of the early scenes.
Director Thomas Kail (Hamilton), without question a brilliant theater mind who also did some nice work on the FX limited series Fosse/Verdon, feels totally anonymous here. But considering the framework of the project, there’s minimal opportunity for Kail to demonstrate any sort of unique take.
Performances and Music
Moana does lean on fresh talent for all of the human roles, and Catherine Laga’aia is an able heir to Auliʻi Cravalho’s spirit. Beyond the aforementioned Johnson’s return as Maui, Jemaine Clement reprises his role as Tamatoa, a one-scene performance that’s still fun if rote, since his live-action CGI shininess doesn’t differ too much from his animated CGI shininess.
As hinted at above, the best sequence of the movie ends up being Johnson performing Maui’s hit number “You’re Welcome” live. Okay, it’s largely against a digitally animated background, and I’m pretty sure he’s singing to playback, but he at least feels like he was physically present when the scene was being shot.
Criticisms and Comparison to the Original
However, as hard as that charisma is working, it can’t overcome the cognitive dissonance that comes from Johnson’s muscle suit and long flowing locks. Initially, the hair felt like the toughest element to overcome as a viewer, simply because we’re not used to seeing Johnson’s actual face surrounded by it.
Still, it’s hard not to get frustrated by watching something so determined to be the same, just slightly different. This issue might be enhanced in this case because other Disney live-action remakes have all enjoyed more temporal distance from their parent films; at 10 years between projects, this is the shortest amount of time yet from the original to the remake’s production.
Something that made the 2025 live-action Lilo & Stitch controversial was a pretty significant change to the ending — it’s not necessary to explain what that change was, it’s just important to know that a change was made, one that showed some ambition and thought about how the story would play in a slightly different time. Moana avoids that — which is a shame if only because its ecological themes have increased dramatically in importance just in the last ten years; a Moana that dove harder into its climate change allegory would be that much more relevant to today.
In conclusion, while Moana contains no nightmare fuel on the level of 2025’s Snow White, it feels like too much of a stretch to hope for better from these remakes. The most we can aspire to is different. If only to avoid the feeling of watching a rerun. Moana sails into theaters on Friday, June 10th.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
