Can Disney's Live-Action 'Moana' Beat the Animated Original?
The review says the live-action film adds little new material and loses the animated original’s imagination, even as Catherine Lagaʻaia and Dwayne Johnson perform well.
- Disney's live-action Moana, directed by Thomas Kail, hit theaters Thursday as a near shot-for-shot remake of the 2016 animated feature, with critics describing the result as "lifeless" and "purposeless."
- Following fan furor over plot changes in Lilo and Stitch, Disney reverted to carbon-copy tactics seen in last year's Train Your Dragon, crafting what critics label a "cynical cash grab" targeting nostalgia.
- Catherine Laga shines as the titular hero, yet Dwayne Johnson struggles to match the animated Maui's verve; the film's "tangible" recreation of Motunui grounds Polynesian culture more effectively than the original.
- Musical sequences featuring Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa feel static; critics argue the live-action staging of "How Far I'll Go" lacks the animated version's expressive, hand-drawn magic that defined the original.
- While a third animated Moana film is in development, critics suggest the franchise is in "increasingly desperate need of some new waters to explore," signaling the limits of live-action nostalgia mining.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Review: Misguided live-action remake of ‘Moana’ is missing the heart in its ocean | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
You know a movie is adrift when you spend the running time admiring the grooming. As in the animated 2016 “Moana,” a Polynesian teenager (Catherine Laga’aia) sets sail to save her starving people by returning a heart stone to an island spirit. The plucky girl goes off into the breach with a cocky demigod named Maui (Dwayne Johnson) in a catamaran that continually pitches them into the waves, soaking them both so often that the hair and costume t…
Moana 2 movie review: Dwayne Johnson returns, but Disney’s cynical remake fails to go far
Moana 2 movie review: Moana is more a self-conscious teen than a carefree spirit. Laga'aia, making her debut, also struggles to hit the right note of chutzpah that marked her animated version. Her eager-to-please smile is the biggest detractor.
Review: 'Moana' follows too soon in wake of animated predecessor
Is a live-action remake of “Moana” necessary, only 10 years after the original animated film premiered? The answer, decidedly, is no, but then again, none of the Disney live-action remakes have been necessary, so that’s where we’re starting from.
Disney's new adaptation seeks to capture the magic of the animated classic, although critics question whether it brings freshness to the original story.
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