Moana (2026) Live Action: A Wave of Nostalgia or a Cash Grab?

The bold, determined, and resourceful princess, Moana, has just gotten a live-action movie, released in July of 2026. But after five years of production, Disney may have just wasted their time. The live-action doesn’t compare to the beloved animated film, and it doesn’t pay tribute to it. Instead, it’s more of an easy cash grab. 

Starring Dwayne Johnson (Maui) and Catherine Laga’aia (Moana), the live-action and the animated film share an identical plot. Moana grows up on an island, surrounded by sea, expecting to become the new Chief of her people. But all along, she feels tugged toward something else: the ocean. As a mysterious plague corrupts her land, she must restore the heart of Te Fiti to heal her island. On her quest, she encounters the demigod Maui. Together, they restore the heart—leading to prosperity in Motunui.

Laga’aia’s acting was a strong point of the movie. She portrayed Moana well as a tenacious but compassionate girl. When she’s on the island, her passion for the sea and the internal battle she faces between choosing her family and her love for the ocean is tangible, and when she loses Maui, so is her pain—so much so that viewers empathize with her. Her acting pays homage to the original, and her singing especially mirrors that of Aulilo’s, who was Moana’s singer in the animated film. On the other hand, the other protagonist, Dwayne Johnson, was dispassionate in his acting, appearing bored for most of the film. His singing was flat and uninspiring compared to Lagaia’s. When Dwayne Johnson sings the famed song “You’re Welcome,” it feels like he is reading the words from a script. His acting and singing are poor, and the movie seemed to cast him as an easy cash grab. 

Because the live-action mirrors the songs, scenes, and plot exactly, the new movie feels pointless to watch. Every scene feels like a callback to the original, but there isn’t any new twist. In the “Shiny” sequence, where Moana and Maui battle for the hook from the crab, Tamatoa, the sequence of events is nearly identical to the animated version—almost shot for shot. Moana is used as bait to lure the crab, the crab sings a song, and Moana uses her wits to trick him. Rather than reimagining the scene, Disney copies it. 

The use of CGI didn’t help. The island, the water, and Te Fiti took on an unnatural edge that contrasted with the actors. Specifically, when Moana sees her grandmother’s spirit animal in the water and is inspired to continue on her journey, it feels visually artificial. The spirit animal in the ocean is so blatantly fake that the moment loses its sentiment. As a result, it doesn’t have the same emotional and cathartic effect that it did in the animated version. 

For all its flaws, though, the movie succeeds in highlighting Polynesian culture. The clothing, the food, the rituals, and the traditions were from a blend of different Pacific Island groups. Dwayne Johnson agrees when he says “the culture really stood up,” as he comes from Samoan heritage. Laga’aia, who is also Samoan, uses the stars, waves, wind, and other natural signs to navigate the ocean, mirroring the Polynesian travel method. In fact, most of the actors had Polynesian heritage in an effort from Disney to maintain cultural representation in the film. Traditional Pacific dances were employed to tell stories, which is shown a few times in the movie, like in the song “Where You Are,” in which both Moana and her grandmother dance together, and they reach to the sky and Earth. The sky, Earth, and other natural objects have a strong tie to Polynesian beliefs. The villages, boats, foods, and crafts also draw inspiration from Polynesian societies. Like fishing, weaving baskets, and caring for elders all hold a strong connection and can be seen in the backdrop of the film. Montonui’s villages have homes with open sides, posts, and thatched roofs, which allow the tropical air to flow through, mirroring styles of early Polynesian houses.  

Tiana Liufau, the associate producer of the film, says that she rooted much of the choreography in the Samoa and Tonga Polynesian groups, also including movements from styles that emerged later in Tahiti and Hawaii. 

Overall, was this a way for Disney to earn a sliver of what they made with the original? Yes. Was this movie poor in its efforts to be fresh and exciting? Yes. Was it completely flawed? No. But it’s still not worth watching.