The first Disney cartoon I remember receiving the live-action treatment was 1994’s “The Jungle Book”. Since then, the studio has revisited 14 more animated classics, with results ranging from inspired reinterpretations to lavish exercises in brand recognition.
One of the more curious choices is “Moana,” primarily because the original film is only ten years old. It hasn’t been forgotten, rediscovered, or rescued from obscurity. For many families, it still feels like a new movie.
My wife and I watched the original “Moana” over Thanksgiving in 2016 with our son, who is now preparing for his first year of college. That passage of time gave this return to Motunui an unexpected personal resonance. While the movie may not need a remake, revisiting its themes of family, responsibility, and finding the courage to chart your own course hits differently this time around.
Director Thomas Kail does not attempt to overhaul a story that already works. The screenplay by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller closely follows Moana’s journey beyond the reef to locate Maui and restore the Heart of Te Fiti. This faithfulness confirms the strength of the original storytelling, but it also places the new film in a challenging position. When nearly every major beat is familiar, spectacle alone must provide a reason to take the journey again.
Catherine Laga’aia delivers the strongest performance, portraying Moana with warmth and quiet determination without reducing her to an imitation of the animated character. Dwayne Johnson remains perfectly suited for Maui, embodying a mix of swagger, insecurity, and theatrical self-admiration. Even the wig, which garnered attention in the trailers, eventually stops behaving like an uncredited cast member.
Kail stages the musical numbers with energy, particularly in “You’re Welcome” and “Shiny.” Jemaine Clement’s Tamatoa is delightfully bizarre, while Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i’s songs, along with Mark Mancina’s score, continue to rank among Disney’s best modern musical achievements.
The filmmakers wisely avoid turning every creature into a photorealistic animal. Pua and Heihei retain their exaggerated personalities, while the Kakamora sequence once again resembles *Mad Max: Fury Road* after a coconut-themed makeover.
This version of “Moana” is visually appealing, sincere, and consistently entertaining. However, animation gave the ocean, characters, and action a freedom that live action cannot fully replicate. I enjoyed sailing with Moana again, and while I doubt I’ll revisit the remake, I’d welcome some more live-action remakes. Paging Julie Dash to bring her magic to “The Princes” and “The Frog”.
Grade: B
“Moana” is in theaters today.
Director Potsy Ponciroli shifts gears for his third feature in “Motor City,” produced by IFC Films. Chad St. John penned the film’s screenplay, which was actually on the 2009 Black List and spent several years in development hell before finally getting underway.
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Writer-director Lee Cronin made an impressive feature film debut in 2019 with “The Hole in the Ground” and followed it up with a fresh and gruesome installment in the “Evil Dead” franchise, “Evil Dead Rise”. However, due to adult responsibilities, I missed his third film in theaters. The mixed reviews and rumors of a troubled production have me concerned.
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