Moana Live Action Review: Critics Are Divided on Dwayne Johnson's Disney Remake

Disney's live-action remake machine has produced very few genuine successes, and critics cannot agree on which pile Moana belongs in.

The live-action Moana opened in theatres on July 10, 2026, exactly ten years after the original animated film, and the reviews landing this week range from calling it the best Disney remake yet to calling it one of the studio's emptiest cash grabs.

Directed by Thomas Kail in his feature directorial debut, Moana marks the first live-action installment in the franchise, following newcomer Catherine Laga'aia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the demigod Maui from both 2016's Moana and 2024's Moana 2. The film was produced by Johnson himself alongside Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also contributed a brand new track for this version called Along the Way, performed by Laga'aia, Johnson, and original Moana voice actress Auli'i Cravalho.

The story follows the same emotional arc as the animated original. Prompted by a call from the ocean, Moana leaves her home island of Motunui for the first time, defying her father Chief Tui's insular worldview to become the wayfinder she senses she is meant to be. Accompanied by Maui, she sets out to restore the heart of Te Fiti and save her community from a spreading blight, encountering the fire demon Te Ka and the treasure obsessed crab Tamatoa, voiced again by Jemaine Clement, along the way.

Critical reception has genuinely split down the middle, which is rare for a genre that has produced fairly consistent critical consensus in either direction for most previous Disney live-action remakes. Variety's review called it the first Disney live-action remake that works 100 percent, praising Johnson's performance as a live-action-remake epiphany and highlighting Laga'aia's beaming rapture in the title role. That review argued the film succeeds precisely because half of it remains animated, letting the fantastical elements stay fantastical rather than forcing everything into uncanny photorealism.

Other major outlets were considerably less kind. The Independent gave the film one out of five stars, with critic Clarisse Loughrey writing that Johnson's wig alone was a low point in a film she compared unfavorably to a household cleaning product advertisement. Consequence landed in the middle with a B-minus grade, noting the film at least avoids the nightmare fuel quality of 2025's Snow White remake, a backhanded compliment that captures how low the bar has fallen for this genre. Geek Vibes Nation was blunter still, describing the film as another drab and lifeless entry in Disney's ongoing string of empty remakes designed purely to maximize revenue.

The technical execution has drawn some of the sharpest criticism. Multiple reviewers flagged an uncanny blend of live-action and photorealistic CGI that several critics described as regressive rather than immersive, despite the production shooting on location in Hawaii. That criticism echoes complaints leveled at several previous Disney remakes, where extensive CGI work ends up undermining the very live-action appeal the format is supposed to deliver.

Box office expectations reflect the mixed buzz. Industry trackers project a domestic opening weekend in the 45 to 65 million dollar range against a production budget reported north of 200 million dollars, positioning Moana as a potential financial underperformer for Disney depending on how it holds through its second and third weekends, particularly with international box office needed to close the gap on that budget.

For context, the 2016 animated original holds a 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and grossed 687 million dollars worldwide, while 2024's animated sequel earned even more at the box office despite softer reviews. The live-action version arriving with a fractured critical response and softer pre-sales suggests it may struggle to match either predecessor commercially, even as Johnson's star power and the film's soundtrack, featuring returning classics like You're Welcome and Shiny alongside the new Along the Way track, continue to drive interest.

Whether Moana ultimately lands as Disney's rare live-action success story or another entry in its growing list of disappointments looks likely to depend on where audiences fall between Variety's enthusiastic embrace and the far more skeptical reviews dominating the rest of the aggregate. Either way, the conversation around it has already made this one of the more debated Disney releases of the summer.

The film also carries symbolic weight beyond its box office performance, releasing exactly a decade after the original changed the conversation around Disney princess narratives by centering a Pacific Islander protagonist and drawing directly from Polynesian navigation traditions and mythology. That cultural specificity was a major factor in the 2016 film's critical success, and how faithfully the live-action version honors that same cultural grounding, rather than flattening it into generic fantasy spectacle, has become a recurring thread across both the positive and negative reviews.

Casting newcomer Catherine Laga'aia in the title role was a deliberate choice by the production to maintain the same commitment to authentic Pacific Islander representation that defined the animated films, and her performance has been one of the few elements nearly every review, positive or negative, has singled out for praise. That consistency across an otherwise deeply divided set of reviews suggests that whatever issues critics have with the film's visual execution or overall necessity, the human performances at its center are largely landing as intended.

For families deciding whether the theatrical trip is worth it this weekend, the film's PG rating and largely intact original soundtrack make it a reasonably safe bet regardless of where individual critics have landed, even if the more skeptical reviews suggest it may not fully replace repeat viewings of the 2016 original for households that already own it.

Moana's theatrical run also arrives at a notable moment for Disney's live-action remake strategy more broadly, following a stretch that included both well-received efforts like Lilo & Stitch and widely panned ones like Snow White. Where this particular film lands in that spectrum by the end of its opening weekend will likely shape how aggressively the studio continues greenlighting further remakes of its animated catalogue in the years ahead, making Moana something of a bellwether release well beyond its own box office numbers.

Quick Facts

• Release Date: July 10, 2026

• Platform: Theatrical release (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

• Director: Thomas Kail

• Cast: Catherine Laga'aia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Frankie Adams

• Critical Reception: Mixed to negative, with some standout positive reviews

• Franchise: First live-action installment, following two animated films

FAQs

Is the live-action Moana a shot-for-shot remake?

It follows the same core story as the 2016 animated film, though critics have noted the blend of live-action and CGI creates a different visual experience than a straight shot-for-shot remake.

Does Dwayne Johnson play Maui again?

Yes, Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as Maui from the animated films, this time in live-action.

Who plays Moana in the live-action version?

Catherine Laga'aia makes her film debut in the title role, taking over from Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated films and appears on the new song Along the Way.

How is the live-action Moana reviewed compared to the animated original?

The 2016 animated film holds a 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, while the live-action version has received a far more divided critical response ranging from very positive to strongly negative.