Jul 10, 2026 10:00am IST
‘Moana’ Review: Live-Action Remake Sinks Under The Weight Of Its Animated Original
Ten years after the animated masterpiece that was “Moana” first captured audiences' hearts, Disney brings us back to the island of Motunui with its live-action reimagining. The story once again follows a headstrong chief's daughter as she answers the ocean's call to save her people. Nineteen-year-old Australian Samoan actor Catherine Laga’aia steps into the iconic role of Moana, navigating a narrative deeply familiar to fans. Alongside her, Rena Owen portrays Grandma Tala, the wise and kindly matriarch who recognizes Moana’s heroic leadership destiny. Dwayne Johnson also returns to reprise his role as Maui, the charismatic, shapeshifting demigod. While the foundational elements of the beloved story remain intact, this updated version struggles to justify its existence alongside its Oscar-nominated predecessor.
One of the most prominent hurdles the film faces is its pacing and overall energy. The narrative unfolds at a remarkably slow rate, often feeling dull and unexciting rather than epic. In the original animation, the musical numbers seamlessly propelled the plot forward, but here the dynamic feels inverted. It frequently feels as if the core story is merely happening in the brief spaces between the songs rather than the music serving the narrative. Because audiences have already seen this journey play out with far more vibrancy, the lack of momentum makes the entire experience feel somewhat pointless.
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Stepping into a live-action remake creates an immediate expectation for human actors to bring new emotional depth to moments that animation made iconic. Unfortunately, the performances do not quite live up to that standard. Laga’aia is undoubtedly a bright and breezy presence on screen, possessing a powerful, Broadway-standard singing voice that handles the musical numbers beautifully. However, both she and Johnson seem trapped by a rigid script that keeps them on autopilot. Johnson delivers his signature charisma and handles the comedic timing casually, but his performance can feel mechanical, as if he’s executing familiar commands rather than a living, breathing character.
A vast majority of the movie is deeply embedded in computer generated imagery, to the point where it essentially becomes another form of animation. The human actors are frequently composited into entirely digital environments, and during major ocean sequences, the film relies heavily on digital doubles. Because there is very little attempt to actually adapt the story to the strengths of a new medium, the visual style occupies an uncanny valley. This is particularly noticeable with Maui, whose look can sometimes feel like an artificial intelligence interpretation of the character.
Ultimately, the film functions more like a piece of monetisable content than a fresh artistic vision. A traditional stage musical adaptation might have given the iconic songs a genuine platform to shine in a new way, but this version offers very few surprises. While there is a nice enough rapport between the two lead actors, the overall execution remains remarkably flat. When a remake offers a slightly lesser version of a story that is already readily available to stream at home, it raises a difficult question for the audience. There is little incentive to pay for a theatre ticket when the superior, endlessly charming original version is sitting right on Disney+.
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