'Moana' Review
- Connor Petrey
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 07/10/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Action. Adventure. Comedy. Family. Fantasy.
MPAA: Rated PG.
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios.
The Verdict: A Mistake
Déjà vu, anyone? Disney has been releasing live-action remakes of animated classics for decades now, with a heavy influx in the 2010s… So what's different here? The biggest issue is the one many have commented on: no, it’s not Dwayne Johnson’s bizarre wig; it’s that this modern classic is only 10 years old (this year!) and is receiving the remake treatment.
The songs, the story, the characters, the visuals - Moana is truly a one-in-a-million animated feature that turned heads and kept them that way for years now. So after a sequel in 2024 hit theaters and made a splash at the box office, the most obvious thing is to continue with an unoriginal, carbon copy of the original film, but this time… live action (woah!).
There’s an uncanny valley to every bit of background scenery in the film, aside from a few gorgeous shots of Moana’s homeland and of her isolation in darkness on the water. In these moments, I sincerely said “that looks good” under my breath because 99% of everything else did not naturally appeal to the eye. While not as technologically sound as The Jungle Book and not as irritatingly animated as The Lion King, Disney has made a film that feels as if most of it was shot in a studio, with water added in post-production.
Now let’s get down to business… the actors and how they do in replacing the original cast of voices. Honestly, all around pretty equivalent, and actor Catherine Laga'aia is completely innocent in the film's laziness. Laga'aia offers her take on Moana, and she’s honestly a perfect fit, though some of her reactions do feel a bit overplayed; that’s at the fault of the direction, not hers. As stated in the introduction, Dwayne Johnson is severely miscast; the character's wit and charming arrogance are severed. His costuming his one thing but when it comes to his performance, it just does not work in live action (and this is coming from a huge fan of the actor). When the film is primarily about Moana and Maui, and the actors aren’t 100% convincing, the film starts to take on water and sink ever so slowly. But on the upside, Jemaine Clement is back as Tamatoa, and that scene remains as fantastic as ever.
It’s a near shot-for-shot remake of the original film; it’s not awful, but it’s not good either… it lacks the wonder the original conveyed through its animation. As a film that offers absolutely nothing new to the world upon its existence, it makes it oddly worse than if it were truly abysmal. With the animated being only a decade old, just continue to love and adore that one and forget this one ever existed.
What can I say except, "You're welcome"
