Review: Live-action “Moana” delivers the adventure, but loses the charm
Disney releases their live-action remake of “Moana” this Friday, just short of 10 years since the original 2016 film. Does the remake do the original justice? Or is this the most shameless cash grab of all time?
Photo courtesy of Disney.
© 2026 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
When “Moana” released in 2016, I don’t think anyone anticipated the impact it would have. The first film grossed $643 million at the global box office; the 2024 sequel would go on to surpass that with a worldwide gross of just shy of $1.1 billion.
In 2024, Bloomberg reported that “Moana” was the most streamed title on Disney+ with 80 billion minutes watched in the first five years of the streaming platform’s life. With numbers like this, it’s no surprise that Disney chose “Moana” as the first modern Walt Disney Animation Studios film to receive the live-action treatment.
Photo courtesy of Disney.
“Quit while you’re ahead” is usually pretty sound advice that unfortunately does not apply here. Live-action remakes are usually panned by critics and the general public, yet they more often than not end up being smash hits at the box office. This one in particular is no exception to that trend. If the trailers had you expecting a nearly shot-for-shot adaptation of the modern Disney classic, that’s exactly what you’re getting. However, “Moana” (2026) is not without its merits.
Photo courtesy of Disney.
The performances
Catherine Lagaʻaia makes her silver screen debut in the titular role of Moana and is sure to be the standout of everybody’s viewing experience regardless of their enjoyment of the movie as a whole. Auliʻi Cravalho, who plays Moana in the animated films, leaves some pretty big shoes to fill and Catherine Lagaʻaia meets, if not exceeds, expectations.
Her bubbly presence and incredible vocal performance bring Moana to life exactly as you’d imagine her. Dwayne Johnson refused to pass the torch and reprises his role as Maui, a shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of all. You can make as many jokes about “The Rock” in a wig as you want, but there’s nobody else who could be Maui in my eyes.
Throughout the film, he peppers in new one-liners, which all had me giggling. Not because I’ve been in love with him since I first saw him in “The Game Plan” back in 2007, but because he IS Maui, animated or not.
Photo courtesy of Disney.
The scenes
My love for Dwayne Johnson did materialize some fear on if a live-action iteration of “You’re Welcome” or any of the other iconic songs from the original would play well in a remake. I’m pleased, and sincerely shocked, that “You’re Welcome” is the highlight of the movie. The changes made to the visuals in that number translate very well in live-action.
“Shiny” is my other stand-out moment, but it feels hypocritical to say that, because it still suffers from my biggest complaint of the film. “Shiny” is great because it’s almost shot-for-shot the same scene from the animated film, and so is 95% of the movie, just with the life sucked out of it.
Photo courtesy of Disney.
You will never, ever, be able to replicate the magic of an animated film in a live-action one. Especially not in one as colorful, beloved, and iconic as the 2016 “Moana.” The 2026 remake more often than not looks like a car commercial. It’s very apparent where the set ends and the green screen of CGI elements begins. They sucked the life out of every frame of the animated film and recreated it for this iteration.
Worth the price of a ticket?
Score: 2.5/5
Is the movie itself good? Well, the story is. The songs are. You know why? Because we know the story and songs already. We love that story, we love those songs. All I could think about for a majority of the film was how I felt watching last year’s “How to Train Your Dragon” live-action remake. Yeah, it was “good,” but that’s because it coasted off everything that made the original special and unique, just without any of the charm or magic. Any scene that feels like “magic” is because they just copied and pasted what was done 10 years ago. It’s extremely disappointing.
Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2026 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
How can you expect a family of four to spend upwards of $60+ to venture out to movie theaters and see the same movie they can watch at home on Disney+ but a million times better? If you’re a Moana super-fan or your little ones adore the animated film, there’s enjoyment to be had here. But if you don’t want your favorite Disney film to be subjected to this treatment, stay home.
If you need me, I’ll be on the next flight to Spain, where the live-action “Tangled” is currently being filmed, to try and reason with the crew to shut it down before it’s too late.
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