Moana (2026)
Review by Mark Woodring
In 2016, Disney released an animated film that caught the interest of the audience and became one of their favorite and most successful “modern” films. In 2025, they released the sequel to said film, which also did pretty well.
And this year, we got… checks notes… a live action remake of the original film.
*sigh*
Here we go.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Ryan discuss the film further. Remember, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
115 Minutes, Rated PG
Written by Jared Bush, Dana Ledoux Miller, Ron Clements
Directed by Thomas Kail
Synopsis:
Live Action adaptation of the 2016 animated film: In ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the demigod Maui reaches Moana’s island, she answers the Ocean’s call to seek out Maui to set things right.
Look, I’ve made my general disdain for Disney’s “live action” efforts when it comes to “re-imagining” their animated classics pretty clear. Rarely, if ever, do I find them enjoyable.
Sure, Cruella was a pleasant surprise, probably because it was a prequel, not a re-make, was about a villain, not a hero, and didn’t try to redeem said villain.
Good job, Disney. Good job.
Moana, on the other hand, is a straight remake of the 2016 film. It’s such a literal remake that they brought Dwayne Johnson in to play Maui, the character he voiced back in 2016. Put him in that… wig… and a body suit to give him the demi-god physique of the animated film.
Did I mention the wig?
Anyway, if you’ve seen the animated version, you know exactly what you’re getting here. Literally. We get the “Shiny” number with a large, animated crab (Tomatoa), still voiced by Jermaine Clement. We get Maui’s “Your Welcome” number as he tries to flee his island on Moana’s canoe, trapping her in a cave.
Hei Hei is here, but is 100% animated. They didn’t even try to make him particularly realistic and use a real chicken for some shots and animate it when necessary. It’s basically a CGI version of the cartoon chicken, and they didn’t even get Alan Tudyk to return to “voice” him.
Another problem is the scale of the film. The actual, live-action set pieces feel small: Moana on the canoe. Moana in the hut. They fell small and constrained. Which makes the wider shots of her looking out from the mountain top or alone in the vastness of the ocean feel even more… fake.
The CGI versions of Te Ka and Te Fiti could easily have been imported as the original animation.
This version of Moana just doesn’t work, and worse: it doesn’t add anything to the original.
Ultimately, the film is… fine… it’s just fine. It’s not particularly bad because it’s not particularly good. It’s there. And once again, the live-action’s biggest effect is to remind everyone of how much better the originals were.
The one standout in the entirety of the slightly-longer-than-the-original run time is the introduction of Catherine Laga’aia as Moana. She is exuberant and alive and holds her own handily against Johnson, belting out her numbers with gusto and emotion. Great job.
Moana (2026) sails into theaters this Friday, July 10, and stars Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, and Jermaine Clement.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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