Another Disney live action adaptation has taken over the big screens. The media empire has had a consistent pattern over the last few years of reusing animations and creating their live action counterparts. 2015 saw Cinderella’s counterpart while 2025 had Lilo and Stitch. Now, in 2026, there is Mona’s counterpart.
The live action Moana released on July 10, making it to the top of many Disney lovers’ summer watch list; however, movie watchers are wondering if the world really needs more live action movies.
The Moana live action follows the similar formula that live action critics tend to dislike; it’s almost an exact replica of the original. Adding salt to the wound, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprised his role as Maui, sporting a rather interesting wig. The Rock’s reprisal left fans wondering if the movie was a rushed job, in order to ensure that the Rock would get to play the role again.
However, though the movie followed the original rather closely, the opening scene was something different and almost tear-inducing to many in the audience. Director Thomas Kail opted to keep the two opening songs, “Tulou Tagaloa” and “Where You Are,” the same. The actress for Moana, Catherine Laga’aia, expertly followed in the animated voice actress’s footsteps, adding a new level of depth to the character.
What stood out the most in the opening scene was the choreography by Tiana Liufau. Liufau drew inspiration from what she called the earliest foundation of Polynesian dance, Samoa and Tonga. Liufau said in an interview “It’s art, and beyond art, its culture,” Liufau continued, “These are the ways that we as dancers mimic what’s around us. If we remember what’s around us, we remember where we come from, we remember who we are, we remember the way we came to be.” Liufau’s addition to the film reminds movie watchers that live action films can add to the original story in many more ways than just the general plot.
The live action Moana brought onto the screens actors like Frankie Adams and John Tui who, though their roles were small, managed to bring new understanding and life to the characters. Adams’ portrayal of Sina, Moana’s mom, in particular gave a new appreciation to a character that hardly had any lines in the original animation.
The soundtrack stayed the same with emotional performances from Rena Owen and Laga’aia, that encompassed the original animated relationship between grandmother and granddaughter. However, a performance that fell flat was The Rock’s “You’re Welcome.” Without the magic of animation and the pretty bright colors to distract from The Rock’s lack of emotional range and mediocre singing, the audience is faced with the harsh reality that Disney maybe should have chosen a different actor for the life action role.
Lin Manuel Miranda, the original composer for the animated version, wrote one new song for the movie titled “Along The Way.” Miranda’s song, however, only made it to the end credits, leaving the fans that expected more from the film disappointed. The song is a conversation between Laga’aia and Auliʻi Cravalho, the voice actress for the original animated version of Moana. The song itself is a moment where the torch is passed from Cravalho to Laga’aia as a boost of encouragement for the young Moana who is sailing into an entirely new world on her own. Director Thomas Kali missed the mark when he neglected to add the song into the movie. Miranda’s original song could have added a layer of strength to Moana that was missing in the live action.
Verdict: Thomas Kail’s “Moana” gives hope that live action remakes can possibly be good.
