Moana (2026) Review: As with most Disney remakes, it begs the question — why?
- Chase Gifford
- 10 minutes ago
- 4 min read
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” – Herman Melville
In a period of ten years we have the animated feature Moana, its sequel, and now the live-action rehash that no one asked for. The animated original is a seminal piece of Disney animation that not only provides entertainment but cultural introduction and understanding. It is gorgeously animated with unbelievable vibrancy and perhaps most importantly, a sense of originality and uncharted cultural exploration. It feels important in the realm of animated features and perhaps with time will prove to be as lasting and impactful as such classics like The Lion King and Aladdin.
Moana 2 was originally a television series for Disney+ and its inadequacy as a feature film is glaringly obvious. You can feel the indecision before ultimately landing on making it a feature rather than a series. More of a lateral move, it went from a forgettable series to a forgotten movie that, much like its live-action successor, in no way justifies its existence beyond the obvious cash grab.
And now we have Moana (live-action) again. Because of course we do. I’ve always thought that with these live-action remakes comes an opportunity to tell an entirely new story. You can re-create the feeling of the animated version, bring its beloved characters to life, shoot on location for a visually stunning journey and tell something new taking these same characters on a whole new adventure. It justifies its existence with a new story but honors the impact of what came before. It celebrates the characters and their history.
Instead Disney opted to create a near beat for beat recreation of its 2016 predecessor. Admittedly it’s been a long time since I last saw the original Moana but from what I can recall, the 2026 remake offers next to nothing new. With the exception of a couple new songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda it’s a subpar, uglier redo of a much better film.
Few actors can exude such an obvious ego quite like Dwayne Johnson. He has his strengths and I am a fan of some of his efforts, Jungle Cruise, for example. But more than ever, you can practically smell it burning off the screen. The biggest clue is the recasting of the titular character with an entirely new actor while bringing Johnson back as his animated counterpart, Maui. In the cast of this very movie is a man by the name of John Tui who plays Moana’s father, Chief Tui. He looks infinitely more like Maui than Johnson ever could even with all the terrible wigs and bland costume designs at his disposal. He just couldn’t let go of Maui (paycheck) and his insistence on starring in this version is hopelessly evident. But I can also understand from a marketing standpoint that his name for better or worse draws crowds.
I spoke with a family member who has kids and I was told it costs them roughly $200 to go to the movies as a family (snacks included). If Disney wants to give families a reason to leave their houses, a lesser version of an already streaming animated movie isn’t the best idea. It seems like Disney’s greatest strength anymore is recreating movies already in their library almost shot for shot and yet somehow making them far worse, much uglier and just all around unnecessary.
Moana (2026) is a soulless husk of a much better movie. Everything about this feels like a cash grab that’s hoping no one would notice. Well Disney, we noticed. And yet, because there is no justice or balance in this world, it will probably make a billion dollars and continue to justify Disney’s adamancy to keep dumping out these rent-a-Disney-movies from Temu.
There was opportunity here just like there was with 2019’s Aladdin, 2025’s Lilo & Stitch, and 2023’s The Little Mermaid to name only a few of so many more. But Moana, as they did with all of these remakes, changed almost nothing and somehow gave us something worse. A monotonous and lifeless lack of effort that despite its live-action tag, is 90% green screen and CGI characters – so you know, a different kind of animation. I happily wrote this review and after publishing will promptly forget about this insult to cinema because next week… THE ODYSSEY.
(Also, small complaint but it bothered me – why is every conversation these characters have a big speech? It’s always a profound, life-affirming tale of familial legends and hereditary legacy. It’s about the future of their tribe and the threat of its ultimate demise. It’s never just about what’s for dinner, or who left the palm tree leaf (toilet seat) up. In other words, it never achieves any kind of normalcy or personality in its characters. There’s no relatability whatsoever.)
Rated PG For: action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements
Runtime: 115 minutes (why so long?!)
After Credits Scene: No
Starring: Catherine Laga'aia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Rena Tala
Directed By: Thomas Kail
Out of 10
Story: 5/ Acting: 6/ Directing: 4/ Visuals: 4
OVERALL: 3/10
Buy to Own: No.
Check out the trailer below: