Who is This For?
Disney’s newest crop of live-action animation remakes have mostly included films from the Disney renaissance of the ‘90s like Aladdin (2019), The Little Mermaid (2023), The Lion King (2024) and Beauty and the Beast (2017). Of those films, the shortest amount of time between the original and the remake was Mulan (1998) with 38 years (the longest was Snow White (1938) with 88 years). Leaning into the concept of nostalgia, this makes sense. But the last two major offerings, Lilo & Stitch (2002) and the newest film – Moana (2016) provided films that didn’t quite scratch the nostalgia itch, despite being enjoyable.
Lilo & Stitch (2025) had the benefit of going back to correct some cultural exclusions and tried to make sure the film’s cast and crew reflected those in the film. However, outside of some song revisions, Moana is nearly a shot for shot remake. With the earlier remakes, the benefit lied in the idea of elder millennials who enjoy the beauty of classic Disney animation sharing the media with the young people in their lives. As experimental as the initial remakes were, it was cool to show little ones beloved media in a format they are more familiar with. With Moana having only a gap of 10 years, that means the kids who watched it are just… a little older. This is a Gen Z film with a sequel and another in the works. If Moana (2026) doesn’t stoke nostalgia, then what was the draw for it being made?
While watching the film, when trying to catch changes from the animated feature, I found myself referencing Moana 2 (2024) since that was fresher in my mind and it was slightly disconcerting. It’s interesting to wonder – if Disney continues the trend of releasing sequels, will the upcoming Moana 3 correspond with the live-action remake of the same film? Is that something we need? It’s certainly debatable, but it may be a concern for the backburner because the film is fun. It’s bright, relevant, and will give new viewers a full intro into Moana’s world.
What’s New?
Disney did try to pin original Moana voice actor Auli’i Cravalho, she felt she’d aged out of the role and joined instead as Executive Producer (along with director Thomas Kail and other producers like Dwayne Johnson, and Lin-Manuel Miranda). In her place steps newcomer Catherine Laga’aia, a young actor has 3 credits to her name. This is Laga’aia’s debut feature and it’s a big one. For director Thomas Kail while this isn’t quite the first – he’s known for being the director of Miranda’s Hamilton (2020) – it’s still a major entry into his catalogue.
In Moana, we saw the return of beloved characters like Johnson’s Maui and Jermain Clement’s Tamatoa the “shiny” crab. We also had the return of writers Jared Bush and Ron Clements. Miranda returns as musical director crafting new renditions of the classic songs and helming a new song called “Along the Way” that features Cravalho. It’s great to have old faves intermixed with new talent including Rena Owen as “Gramma Tala”, John Tui as “Chief Tui” and Frankie Adams as Sina.
Another plus directly involves the cast and crew for Moana. It was important to the producers, creators and members of “The Cultural Trust” to ensure the film was authentic representations of the Pacific Island culture. The Cultural Trust are a group of consultants, Pacific artisans, and expert who who to ensure flawless inclusion of Pacific history and lore into media. A majority of the cast and crew were AAPI and an emphasis was made on the Hawaiian, Tongan and Samoan traditions. If the answer to the question, “who is this for?” is people who want to see accurate and positive depictions of their culture and history, then it’s hard to question the existence of the film. The cultural moments in the film from the chants, to the dances and ethnic-wear were lovingly and beautifully displayed.
Dwayne Johnson’s “Maui” will likely get mixed reviews despite the fact it his character was easily one of the most entertaining performances of the film.
Better Than the Original?
The change from animation to live action brings a lot of challenges, especially regarding the limit of human interaction in space. Being unable to naturally shape-shift into answers, requires the use of CG and green screen. In Moana there were plenty of beautiful shots that made me a bit nauseous because of the panning. But as the film went on, that initial jolt went away. Since the “laughable but for the wrong reasons” look of Aladdin, and the initial uncanny valley reaction to The Lion King, Disney has gotten much better at the animation within their live-action projects. They’ve found a way to have the animals look real enough without losing the personality in their faces that make them charming and not creepy.
Case in point, in the original animated version, I hated that chicken! Heihei was a menace and a hazard to Moana’s mortality. There’s something about Heihei in the live-action version that had me laughing along. Yes, Heihei was modeled after a real chicken, but there was a fuzziness and rounded-edges nature to the bird that made him seem, well… animated! Though this works with the non-human elements, there was a bit of concern around the violence inflicted on Moana.
In animation you can get away with a lot when it comes to how durable your characters are. In the live-action version, Moana was still fallible and could be hurt. The first few times she was thrown around, it was stressful. The film made the choice to have Moana’s movements and environment be as animated as possible, whether it be swinging from an impossible vine, or having the sea always make sure she’s righted. For myself at least, this made the film more palatable and easier to enjoy.
And it was easy to enjoy. The landscape that’s not wholly CGI is beautiful and honestly some of the CGI is beautiful as well. The performances are definitely a highlight. While it’s hard to reach the heights of personality like Cravalho, Laga’aia certainly stepped up the plate ready to perform. There’s a determination that shines through her as Moana and it makes me interested to see what she’s in next.
I have to take a moment for Dwayne Johnson’s “Maui”, who will likely get mixed reviews despite the fact it his character was easily one of the most entertaining performances of the film. I loved the wig, I loved the moving tattoo and I loved the cheekiness. It’s clear to see Johnson has a deep love for the character and every line seemed effortless. Johnson knows Maui possibly better than the original writers. He’s taken ownership and it’s a great investment.
Overall, Moana is an interesting trip. And while it may be to the store instead of down memory lane, it’s still worth traveling.
Moana will premiere in theaters July 10, 2026
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