Disney's Moana (2026) Review | What Are We Even Doing?

[00:00:02]Maui, >> what the fridge are we even doing?

[00:00:09]Did the well of materials for these remakes become so dry that we now have to resort to turning the more recent animated features into liveaction?

[00:00:19]Listen, I get that there is still a demand for these types of films. Say what you will about them. I know I'm not a fan, but they could still be major box office hits. In fact, How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo and Stitch from the year prior is proof of that. They are part of why this is called show business, and they generally do the latter better than the former, but I can't help but feel like this is sinking to a new low when they're already remaking Moana of all movies. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the original itself. I think it's a wonderful animated feature that helped Disney be at the top of their game during the 2010s with a strong story that gets you hooked from start to finish. Stellar animation that further advanced the skills of the Disney animators. Great characters with greater voice acting. World building that respects and honors Polynesian culture, legends, and history. And of course, that amazing soundtrack that is still being quoted to this day. It's a good example of a modern Disney animated film.

[00:01:31]>> But even before going to see it, my real problem with this updated version is not just that they're remaking Moana. It's more the fact that they're doing so this soon. When the remake was released, the original Moana didn't come out for a whole decade. It's not even old enough to BE CONSIDERED NOSTALGIC. WHY is there such a hurry to remake this movie now?

[00:01:55]>> Thank you.

[00:01:57]>> You're welcome.

[00:01:58]>> And this is not even mentioning how this is a remake of a computer animated feature where many elements in Moana have to go from being CG to becoming CG, adding more to the pointlessness of its concept. Then again, I already talked about this subject in my review of the How to Train Your Dragon remake, so I'm not going to completely repeat myself here. But back to the main problem at hand. At least with Dragon, it did wait until the original was more than a decade old by releasing it 15 years later. Moana, on the other hand, felt like it achieved a record that isn't admirable to break. Unless the filmmakers had a brilliant idea on how they could bring Moana to live action in a way that feels fresh and captivating, I don't see what makes this mandatory to have this remake come out as soon as possible.

[00:02:52]So, after watching this movie myself to see if it could prove me wrong on that statement, what's the rush to give us a liveaction Moana?

[00:03:02]Well, when it comes to 2026's Moana, the movie set another new record within these Disney liveaction remakes, and that is the fact that this is the most identical to the original. Without counting the liveaction aspect, around 99% of this movie follows the exact same narrative and the exact same steps as the animated feature with next to no alterations or anything new to add. No new characters, no new songs other than the one in the credits, no new scenes.

[00:03:36]It's just about the exact same.

[00:03:39]>> Pick an eye, babe. I can't can't concentrate on what I'm saying if you Yeah, just pick one.

[00:03:44]>> Listen, I get that there is an audience that wants these remakes to just be shot for shot. If that wasn't the case, then the How to Train Your Dragon remake would have bombed. And I'm sure that there will be some out there who will be satisfied with this direction.

[00:03:58]But I am not one of them. I've mentioned this before that what I consider to be among the worst kind of these remakes are those that prioritize in duplicating the animated film. They are the strongest examples to how pointless they can be where they somehow believe that making next to no changes to the script is somehow a flex and offer nothing new to change up the familiar formula that the original displayed. I agree that many of the changes and updates others did can be a downgrade, but at least there was an effort to distinguish itself from the original to offer a different experience. Seriously, Moana is more identical to its animated version than the 2019 Lion King remake.

[00:04:43]And sure, I agree that one sucks, too.

[00:04:46]But at the very least, it did try some new things like adding a Beyonce song that almost everyone forgot and a threeinut scene where a tough of Simba's hair goes on a journey across Africa, turns into poo, and somehow finds its way to Rafiki's grubby hands.

[00:05:08]The only thing that's different in the Moana remake is the presentation of the you're welcome number. And honestly, I consider it to be the best scene of the film. It found a new way to be playful with the colors and the blend of 2D and 3D animation in a style that deviates from the original while still maintaining what made the song memorably fun.

[00:05:31]What can I say except you're welcome?

[00:05:36]>> But outside of that, the rest is uninspiringly the same. I'd even say that uninspiring is a good word to describe the direction. It always has this sense that the movie's main priority is to copy the 2016 film, and the reason for its actions are just because that's what the cartoon did. And yet, while the remake tries to imitate it, it doesn't comprehend why those scenes work. Since its intentions don't feel genuine with each scene it executes, it doesn't share what made the original emotionally engaging and whatever moments that made the animated film feel strong and exciting. The remake just feels hard to connect with whatever's going on because the intentions of the craftsmanship doesn't feel genuine. Listen, princess. If you're going to do this, you got to go through a whole ocean of bad.

[00:06:27]>> But let's be honest, as much as the existence of this thing alone can cause some to shout at THEIR SCREENS GOING, >> "WHY? WHY? WHY?"

[00:06:38]>> I THINK WE all know why this exists. We know who is mainly responsible for letting a Moana liveaction remake happen. And no, it's not Disney, but Maui himself.

[00:06:53]>> We are so excited and happy to announce that a liveaction reimagining of Moana is in the works.

[00:07:00]>> Yes, as of this review, Dwayne Johnson is still one of the biggest names in Hollywood. However, his star power isn't what it used to be, and the movies he's been featured in aren't drawing massive crowds like before. Lately, it's as if he's been trying to claw his way back to the top with tactics like bringing back his old franchises, such as the Jumanji reboot. But there is no better example of this than the Moana remake, especially when he's not just reprising his role as Maui, but is also credited as the film's producer with his company Seven Bucks Productions involved. And how does he present this new form of the great demigod? The gods have given me a boat.

[00:07:51]>> Oh my goodness. I got to say, at least this is the most unintentionally funny Disney liveaction remake.

[00:07:58]>> Well, hello tiny human. Not too sure why they thought I needed you.

[00:08:02]>> To his credit, he is one of the better actors in the film. He was able to play Maui well like he did in the animated film. But the thing with Johnson reprising his role in the liveaction version is a strong highlight to the problems with these remakes. Sure, some could argue that he's past a bit of his prime, but he's still one of the most recognizable actors today. Whenever he's on screen, I don't see Maui. I just see The Rock having a midlife crisis.

[00:08:32]Considering that Maui's personality was influenced by Johnson, he's mostly being himself throughout the picture, which makes it distracting that this version of Maui is completely Dwayne Johnson, except now he has a wig that is anything but Dwayne Johnson.

[00:08:49]>> You're so amazing. Look at the definitions.

[00:08:53]>> It's true. I do have beautiful hair.

[00:08:55]>> And this makes it weirder when you add Minnie Maui into the equation. It's nice that he's still presented as the handdrawn animated tattoo who is Maui's comedic buddy, but there is a massive drawback with him. In the original animated film, the dynamic between the two was fun to watch because they're both cartoons, especially with how it mixes mediums with a 2D silent character being a smart alec to the 3D one. In the liveaction version, the problem is not Minnie Maui himself. It's the fact that it's on Dwayne Johnson's body and it causes the film to repeatedly zoom in way too close to his chest. You know how in your welcome Maui says, >> "I know it's a lot. The hair, the bod."

[00:09:43]>> That's a great way to describe having Dwayne Johnson as a liveaction Maui. The hair and the bod are indeed a lot, huh?

[00:09:51]>> So, it goes like this. Maui, shape shifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of men. But there is something that's worth addressing when it comes to this picture. If you've been around social media lately, there is a good chance that you've seen this claim be thrown around. And since we're already here, why don't we look deeper into this and actually answer the question, is there AI in this movie?

[00:10:18]>> Maui is not spelled with a wei, it's spelled with an I.

[00:10:22]>> Are you kidding?

[00:10:24]Nowadays, it's quite common for people to call something AI slop whenever they see something that looks like low quality, regardless if it was actually made with AI or not. Not to mention that it's an accusation that just about every new Disney movie receives to hype up the hate for them. Well, after doing some research on the case, the answer is apparently almost. According to reports, the company considered using it to deep fake Dwayne Johnson's face and put it on his body double as well as also using it on Tron Aries, but they ultimately abandoned those plans due to not having full ownership of it and avoid having a PR nightmare. So, unless there is evidence that proves otherwise, looks like there's no AI actually used in the Moana remake. But hey, if you're still looking to go and destroy some real AI slop, I recommend taking down Twitter.

[00:11:19]Considering the kind of slop that's being made in there, it's rather shocking that not enough anti- AI people are boycotting it.

[00:11:26]>> We ain't got to go through a whole ocean of bad.

[00:11:30]>> But when it comes to the visuals of 2026's Moana, I'd say that it's pretty mixed. Of course, as a Disney live-action remake, there are some CG nightmare fuel that tried to apply a hyperrealistic look onto some cartoony designs like Tamatoa, Teiti, Maui, Shark Head, and that chicken is not dumb, by the way. It just wants to be out of its misery.

[00:11:57]But while those can look either weird or laughably bad considering how low the standards of these are, I'd honestly say that this is one of the better looking remakes. While some miss their mark, there are other CG creatures that look fine. Whether it be Tea, the Kakamura, Pua, or Maui's other transformations that and it does well to visually bring Moana's Polynesian environment to live action. The backgrounds are grand and capture the feel of their respective environments. The costumes are very nice, and the cinematography is great to recreate the shots from the original, even when it comes to the more elaborate ones. In terms of the craftsmanship on its own, it is wellbuilt. But is that enough to impress some people to change their minds about this liveaction remake? No.

[00:12:48]>> What are you doing?

[00:12:49]>> Escaping.

[00:12:50]>> The heart is that way.

[00:12:51]>> We'll never get it. Even when it has elements that it did right, there is one problem that holds everything back. And that is the fact that it's a remake of an animated film. And just like with having Dwayne Johnson as a liveaction Maui, it highlights the general problems with these liveaction remakes. When making the transition, it loses all of its traits of what makes animation fun to watch. The colors are all desaturated where it's not as pleasant to see. The more fantasy elements don't look like they belong in the same world where it's just CG interacting with real people pretending that it's there. Even the acting and choreography is much less dynamic that ultimately makes the personalities less interesting, even if the people are good singers. I will say that there are some performances that I like such as Johnson, Reena Owen as Grandma Tala, and Germaine Clement coming back as Tamatoa, but then there's Katherine Laga who I find to be okay at best as Moana. Listen, I get that Ali Kvalo set the bar very high with her phenomenal performance in the 2016 movie, but while I won't say that Laga was bad, I wouldn't call this her breakout role that highlights her talent either.

[00:14:14]>> I'm not a princess. I'm the daughter of the chief, leader of my people.

[00:14:20]But my point is that even if it was able to make the most out of the endless resources it had, the concept of turning an animated feature into a liveaction movie alone immediately gives this a downgrade where the experience isn't as strong as it was before. Especially when the story was made for animation in the first place. No matter what it does, it loses so much of that magic from the original because there are some things in cartoons that cannot be replicated in liveaction. And the Moana remake provides a prominent case of this.

[00:14:57]>> Sometimes in life, you're the hero and sometimes you're the bait.

[00:15:01]>> Wait, what?

[00:15:03]>> You know, to be honest, I always knew that I wasn't going to get much out of this picture. I mean, it's a shot forshot liveaction remake. So, to put it in the nicest way possible, this is not going to be for me. But if I have to mention one thing that I took from this experience, it wouldn't actually be related to the remake itself, but rather oddly enough, it updated a bit of my view of Moana 2.

[00:15:33]>> Bring it on, Coco.

[00:15:36]Nuts.

[00:15:39]I'll admit that I don't think Moana 2 is a great movie or barely even good for that matter. I'd even go as far and say that it's Disney animation's weakest movie in recent years. But after watching the Moana remake, there is one thing that I could give it credit for.

[00:15:57]On top of the great animation and the amazing voice cast, at the very least, it tried something different. It tried to give us a new experience with these beloved characters. It took the risk of providing new material to the Moana story. Sure, it didn't really succeed in doing so, but at least the attempt alone is much more than what I could say about the liveaction version. The 2026 remake of Moana is Disney's equivalent to 2025's How to Train Your Dragon. And by that I mean that it's so identical to the original that I not only consider it as one of the most pointless remakes, but also one of the worst. Sure, it's not the worst movie of the year, and there are some well done things to find here, like some good acting, and it can be a nicel lookinging picture from time to time. But as a shot forshot remake, it's hard to see this as anything else than just an inferior version of something that we've already got less than a decade ago. It's Moana, but less lively, less colorful, has some off-putting CG, has a weird Dwayne Johnson with hair, and has just about nothing that can be emotionally engaging. Safe to say that my recommendation is just stick with the original Moana. Or heck, I'd recommend Moana 2 over the liveaction one. But the only people who I can imagine would unironically enjoy this are those who want a shot forshot liveaction remake.

[00:17:37]If you enjoyed the How to Train Your Dragon remake, then you'll equally like Moana for doing the exact same thing.

[00:17:44]And if you enjoyed how far I went with this review, then give this a like and come subscribe to my channel. You can also join my Patreon where you can get some shiny rewards like seeing my videos before anyone else. In my case, however, this movie completely sunk and I'm giving this a four out of 10, which also means that it earned the anime seal of garbage. So, after going through all that, I believe Tomatoa has the best way to describe this movie as a whole.

[00:18:16]>> Ouch.

[00:18:17]>> What a terrible performance. Get the hook. Get it. You don't swing it like you used to, man.

[00:18:24]>> Really goes to show that Moana is not as shiny in live action.

[00:18:52]There is no escape.

[00:18:57]Oh, there is one escape.