by G.E. Uke, Reporter

The story of Moana is well known by now. The animated movie came out a decade ago, and earned its place as one of Disney’s most iconic and successful IPs in the last 30 years. This is not just because it does a good job glorifying Polynesian culture, or because it has a competent brown female protagonist who manages to be both humanized and strong, but because of its message of self-authenticity and personal growth. I was excited to hear it finally got a live-action remake, and eager to see what could be done with that.

And it was…just okay.

Nothing about the film was new: it’s VERY faithful to the original, with only a handful of added lines to distinguish it from its predecessor. Every scene is faithfully replicated, so there’s not a lot to say on that front. Where Moana shines is in its visuals and props. The depiction of Motonui Island is interesting, and Catherine Laga’aia tries hard to do a good Moana. But the lines of the animated film don’t jive as well coming from a human mouth, because…people aren’t cartoons. So, attempting to deliver the original movie’s script verbatim was, in my opinion, a waste. The proper way to “humanize” the original would have been to rewrite it a little so it felt more real. But they didn’t do that.

I did like Catherine Laga’aia, and I think she has a promising career ahead of her if she keeps at it. Trying to BE a cartoon character down to the last line is a tall order for anyone, and I don’t fault her for having problems with the delivery. Dwayne Johnson got to reprise his role as Maui “live”, and he also put some good effort into the role. So the movie isn’t without charm. But apart from all those things, it didn’t really feel “necessary”. Moana 2026 is a hi-res photocopy of the original, and it hits like a soulless cash grab.

What I WILL say is that it will probably be a big hit with children, who are the target audience. Most adults won’t find anything new or interesting here, and many will respond with jaded skepticism to the fact that it’s a glitzy carbon copy of the original. But kids? Kids will find it enjoyable.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Moana 2.5 out of 5 live-action remakes, with the caveat that it’s based on a great 5/5 animated film.

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