The new live-action Moana aims to cash in on a beloved Disney favorite but mostly delivers a pale echo of the original, leaning on familiar beats without adding much that feels necessary or new.
The remake follows the same basic story: Moana, daughter of the Motunui chief, sets sail to confront Maui and return the heart of Te Fiti to save her island. That outline works because the animated film packed heart, humor, and visual wonder; the live-action version keeps the plot but loses much of the spark that made the first one sing. Watching it feels less like a fresh take and more like a careful tracing that leaves the soul behind.
Visually, the film struggles to sell its own premise. Wide, sunlit beaches and sweeping ocean shots look like stagecraft more than place, with obvious green-screen trickery and lighting that often reads fake against actors’ faces. The animals and background elements rarely achieve the organic feel needed to convince, and some costume choices, most notably a conspicuous wig, pull viewers out of the moment instead of deepening immersion.
The performances are competent but constrained, as if actors were asked to match animated expressions rather than inhabit new interpretations. That approach robs scenes of spontaneity and subtlety; jokes land with less snap, and emotional beats flatten because the staging keeps returning to the same choreography. Even Dwayne Johnson, who once brought a playful swagger to Maui, feels slightly dialed down by the production’s strict reverence to its source.
Perhaps the most surprising letdown is the soundtrack. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s original songs were punchy and inventive, woven into visuals that elevated them. Here, the music is replicated with care but without the captivating lift that made the tunes linger; arrangements and vocal delivery feel like respectful copies rather than reimagined highlights that could justify a new version. The result is familiarity without fresh payoff.
Director Thomas Kail brings stage experience to a movie that seems to need cinematic risk more than theatrical fidelity. Instead of expanding the universe or finding a new tone, the film largely repeats familiar moments shot-for-shot, which makes it feel safe to the point of being purposeless. When a remake adds nothing to distinguish itself, the most obvious reaction is to ask why it existed in the first place.
Disney’s recent string of live-action remakes has been a mixed bag, with some entries offering smart reinvention and others landing as thin retreads. This Moana lands closer to the latter: polished, serviceable, and undeniably engineered for broad appeal, but lacking the creative leap that turns a remake into an event. Families might enjoy it well enough, but fans who love the original will notice what’s missing and wonder whether a trip to the theater was necessary.
There are moments that still work, thanks to the core mythology and an affection for the characters that survives translation to live action. When the ocean sequences do click, they remind you why the story resonated in the first place and hint at what could have been if the team had pushed harder. Those sparks are small consolation when the overall package feels too cautious.
“Moana” is rated PG for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes. In theaters now.
