★★ (2 out of 4)
Disney continues to cannibalize its animated gems by turning them into dead-ended live-action facsimiles. The latest casualty, after the debacle of “Snow White,” is “Moana,” which retains the name but barely an iota of the charm of the decade-old animated original. It’s not like we don’t know why the Mouse House is doing this—it rhymes with funny—but the creative element comes up zero. The 2026 “Moana” is basically a duplicate of the 2016 “Moana” with real bodies in place of the computer-generated drawings.
Weirdly, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appears more real as a cartoon than strutting around in a tattooed bodysuit and a bad wig to repeat his role as Maui, the shape shifting Polynesian demigod he voiced in the animated version. It’s the only way he could look as wide as he is tall. The effect is disconcerting on its way to disturbing.
Moana the character is a better fit for Catherine Laga’ai, an Australian teenager making her film debut. Auli’i Cravalho did the voice and the acting as the OG Moana, but Disney retired her to make way for an age-appropriate Moana. Not only does her mile-long smile look genuine, it goes all the up to her eyes.
And Laga’ai warbles prettily as she makes her way through the songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’I and Mark Mancina. They’re the same songs from the first movie—the hit “How Far I’ll Go” is still in play—with a new track from Miranda called “Along the Way" that serves as a bridge between the two movies as Cravalho’s voice morphs into Laga’ai’s with The Rock rockin’ out with both Moanas.
What else is new? Nada. The screenplay, credited to Dana Ledoux Miller and original writer Jared Bush, is déjà vue all over again. Pretending not to notice is debuting feature director Thomas Kai, of the Broadway versions of Miranda’s “In the Heights” and “Hamilton,” who is too good for the copycat business.
Nothing wrong with a live action, recycled take on an animated ‘Moana’—it’s just the heart that goes missing. And the magic.
The story now seems written in stone. Moana is a Polynesian girl embarking on a rite of passage. She’s feeling restless on her island of Motunui. Of course, venturing beyond the reef is strictly forbidden by her father, Chief Tui (John Tui). But the world outside calls. Moana’s quest is to head out to sea and return a heart-shaped jewel stolen from the goddess Te Fiti by the demigod Maui. Te Kā, a hulking beast, is hellbent on scaring Moana off her goal. So far same story.
As ever, the point is Moana’s growing independence, her lack of a love interest and the quietly revolutionary way her body differs from the skinny-Barbie image of most Disney princesses. And so off she goes, accompanied by her nutty rooster companion Heihei.
Director Kail dawdles when Moana is at sea. But there are clever distractions, such as a tune from a monster crab, Tamatoa, once comically voiced by Jemaine Clement who now plays the role in the flesh as he tries to retrieve Mau’s magical fishhook. Johnson also gets to reprise “You’re Welcome,” his hit song from 2016. To add spark, the filmmakers retreat to—you guessed it—animation. And we’re back to where we started. Even the sea is CGI.
The live action “Moana” defines disposable, redundant and pointless. The original version is out there to stream in an instant. In our capitalist system there’s nothing wrong with recycled IP (intellectual property) if it rings up a profit. It’s the heart that goes missing. And the magic. I call that a shame.