The Live-Action "Moana" is the Final Nail in the Canoe

This year it'll be a decade since the release of Moana, Walt Disney Animation Studio's biggest hit since Frozen. I still vividly remember being in middle school, going to see Moana in theaters and being blown away by the beautiful animation, iconic soundtrack, and elevated retelling of the classic Hero's Journey. It's hard to argue against the movie's obvious merits. This week, less than ten years after the original film came out, the live-action Moana sailed into international theaters. But despite the little time since its release, it's already clear that the quality between the original and the remake are an ocean apart.

There's no doubt about it, Moana was a triumph both critically and commercially. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker made a film that not only told an inspiring story but provided some much-needed representation to the Polynesian community. It's vibrant, colorful, cartoony, and an overall great time at the movies. For the first time, little Polynesian girls could see themselves in a Disney princess. 2024's Moana 2 however was a different case entirely. While grossing over a billion dollars it had zero memorable songs and made no cultural impact. It's still not uncommon to find people unaware that a sequel even exists. In a way, this summer's remake can be seen as Disney's attempt to restore Moana's legacy but ended up only sinking it deeper.

Disney live-action remakes, you're sick of them, I'm sick of them, we're all sick of them. But no matter how much the Walt Disney Corporation hears from its fans that they've had enough of these shameless cash-grabs, they keep pumping them out one after the other. The studio hasn't gone a year without making at least one live-action remake since Cinderella in 2015. Like other live-action adaptations from the studio, 2026's Moana is a nearly shot-for-shot remake of the original animated film, the biggest difference being the lead actor's change from Auli'i Cravalho to newcomer, Catherine Laga'aia. But it's safe to say that there are far more differences between the two Moanas than the mere actors portraying them.

Let me not mince words, there are a lot of problems with the live-action Moana, but none are as obvious as the performance of the titular role. Being the daughter of longtime Star Wars actor, Jay Laga'aia, this is Catherine's first major screen role...and it shows. I'm not sure if it's due to a lack of acting talent, poor directing, or both, but there is something deeply wrong with all the performances in Moana. As a character, Moana is recognizable for her expressiveness, adorkable personality, love for her people, and unwavering determination. Catherine Laga'aia keeps the same blank facial expression throughout this entire film. This is utterly baffling when you consider that director, Thomas Kail is known for directing Broadway productions like Hamilton. Over-the-top theater acting would've worked brilliantly for the remake of an animated film but inexplicably nobody told Laga'aia to deliver her lines in any other way but bored and uninterested. She actually managed to make this beloved character heavily unlikable.

I can't bring myself to blame Laga'aia entirely, it is more accurate to place the burden on the director and producers who thought that a $250 million blockbuster was a great first job for a nepo-baby. Regardless of Laga'aia's talent (or lack thereof) she was set up for failure by her crew. In a similar vein, Dwayne Johnson is impossible to take seriously as Maui. Looking like a ridiculous, nipple-less mutant for the whole runtime, I wouldn't be surprised if he earned himself a Razzie nomination for this.

Being a direct, shot-for-shot remake, of course the new Moana has the same great songs as the original, but they aren't performed nearly as well and for good reason. What made these musical numbers great in the first place is that they were told through beautiful and creative animated sequences. No matter how much money you put into a movie, live-action will never hold a candle to the expressive, engaging nature of animation. This is the crux of why audiences aren't responding to these Disney remakes. We've seen this story before, now it just looks worse. I don't know how many times the executives at Disney have been told audiences want new stories instead of remakes but it's high time they start listening.

It's abundantly clear that nobody initially thought Moana would ever become a live-action film, and for good reason: it's pretty much impossible. Even with a quarter of a billion dollars, and backing from the most powerful studio in the world, this movie still looks like crap. There is a noticeable lack of energy in the musical numbers, humor, and line deliveries from the very first scene. Not only is there not a single good performance in this movie, there isn't even one I would deem "okay" or "serviceable."

Some things are only possible through animation and there's nothing wrong with that, if anyone should understand it's Disney and I refuse to believe they don't. At this point it's just a race for who can make the most money, which is a problem because Moana has already been struggling at the box office. It has not been nearly the commercial smash hit Disney anticipated, so with any luck, this could be the studio's long overdue wakeup call to quit the live-action remakes and go back to making original films audiences love.

In the briefest possible way, Disney's live-action Moana turned a timeless story into something truly unwatchable. This weekend, save your money and take the kids for a beach day instead.