Moana (2026) Review: Disney’s Live-Action Remake Is Gorgeous, Familiar, and Heading to Disney+

Disney has remade many of its animated classics in live action, but few have arrived this quickly. The original Moana came out in 2016, just ten years ago, and its sequel, Moana 2, was a box office hit in 2024. So when Disney announced a live-action version, a lot of people asked the obvious question: why now?

The film, directed by Thomas Kail of Hamilton fame, opened in theaters on July 10, 2026. It starts streaming on Disney+ on October 21, 2026, which gives many viewers their first chance to see it at home. Here’s our review.

The Story: A Girl, the Ocean, and a Missing Heart

If you know the animated film, you know the story. Long ago, the goddess Te Fiti created the islands, and the trickster demigod Maui stole her glowing green heart to give humans the power of creation. Without her heart, Te Fiti could no longer sustain her creations, and Maui lost his magical fishhook in the process.

Centuries later, Moana, played by Catherine Laga’aia in her first film role, lives on the island of Motunui. Her father, Chief Tui (John Tui), is training her to lead the community one day. Everything on the island is perfect, with plenty of fish, coconuts, and a rule that nobody travels beyond the reef. But Moana has always been drawn to the ocean, and the ocean seems to be drawn to her. When blight spreads across the island, her grandmother, Gramma Tala (Rena Owen), reveals that their ancestors were once great voyagers.

Moana sets sail to find Maui, played by Dwayne Johnson, and persuade him to return Te Fiti’s heart. Her rooster, Heihei, comes along for the ride. Maui doesn’t care about her mission. He wants his fishhook back from Tamatoa, a giant crab who hoards anything shiny, voiced by Jemaine Clement. What follows is a journey across the sea, and a partnership between two very different people.

Faithful to a Fault

The first thing to know is how closely the film follows the original. Johnson and Lin-Manuel Miranda are producers, and original Moana voice Auliʻi Cravalho is an executive producer, so the team made sure to preserve the details fans remember. Johnson and Clement return to their roles, and the songs remain the heart of the film. Miranda also wrote a new song, “Along the Way,” which Cravalho, Laga’aia, and Johnson perform.

That faithfulness is both the film’s strength and its weakness. If you love the animated movie, you’ll find much of what you love, from “How Far I’ll Go” to Maui’s boastful number to Tamatoa’s glittering showpiece. But anything new that the story adds is minor, and nearly everything that works was already in the original. The screenplay, by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, doesn’t take big risks.

The opening narration is one of the more interesting additions. It draws on Polynesian origin myths and on a real period known as “The Long Pause,” when seafaring communities in the Pacific stopped their long-distance voyages for roughly two thousand years. It gives the story a deeper historical backdrop, and it sets up Moana’s discovery of her people’s past.

The Cast and the Look

Laga’aia has a warm, determined presence, and she carries the film’s most famous number with sincerity. Some viewers may feel she can’t match the scale of the animated version, especially in the big musical moments, where a live performance can feel smaller than a drawn one. But she holds the center of the film, and she makes Moana believable as a teenager who’s torn between duty and curiosity.

Johnson clearly enjoys himself as Maui, and his song about everything the world should thank him for remains one of the film’s highlights. Clement’s Tamatoa scene is another standout, and it provides a lively turning point in Moana and Maui’s relationship. Owen brings tenderness to the grandmother, and her return in the third act is still the film’s most emotional moment.

Visually, the film is a treat. Cinematographer Oscar Faura blends live action and CGI smoothly, and he uses the camera to show how enormous the ocean is. Production designer John Myhre gives the island and its sets a lived-in detail. The ocean itself, which becomes a character with a mind of its own, is one of the best uses of the CGI. Still, as in other Disney remakes, the animated elements, like Maui’s moving tattoos, Heihei, and Tamatoa, tend to steal the show.

Why the Reaction Has Been Divided

The film’s reception has been mixed. It earned about $323.6 million worldwide, which is a respectable number but a disappointing one for Disney. It opened to roughly $45 million in the US, well below projections closer to $65 million. Disney’s president, Dana Walden, has said part of the problem was releasing it so soon after Moana 2, which earned almost three times as much.

Some viewers find the remake charming and enjoy seeing the story and songs on the big screen. Others see it as an unnecessary copy that’s about half as magical as the original. Both reactions are fair. The film is sincere, funny, and well made, and it keeps the original’s strong themes, including a heroine whose story isn’t about romance, and a villain who turns out to be a problem to solve instead of an evil to defeat. But it also offers few surprises.

Should You Watch It on Disney+?

For families, it’s an easy yes. It’s rated PG, it runs 115 minutes, and it’s a safe, colorful, music-filled movie night. Fans of the original will enjoy seeing familiar scenes, and younger viewers who haven’t seen the animated version will meet a story that holds up well.

If you’re hoping for a bold reimagining, you may leave wanting more. This is a careful, loyal remake, and the best advice is to enjoy it for what it is.

The Verdict

Moana (2026) is a gorgeous and well-meaning remake with great songs, a likable lead, and a very familiar story. It doesn’t match the magic of the animated original, but it’s sincere and entertaining, especially for kids and fans who want to revisit Motunui. It’s a pleasant watch that never quite justifies its own existence.

Rating: 3/5

Watch the Trailer

Quick Facts

• Title: Moana
• Director: Thomas Kail
• Writers: Jared Bush, Dana Ledoux Miller
• Based on: Disney’s animated film Moana (2016)
• Genre: Musical, Adventure, Family
• Runtime: 1h 55m (115 minutes)
• Rated: PG
• Starring: Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Jemaine Clement (voice)
• Music: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi, Mark Mancina
• Cinematographer: Oscar Faura
• Production designer: John Myhre
• Producers: Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia, Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
• Theatrical release: July 10, 2026
• Worldwide box office: About $323.6 million
• Disney+ release: October 21, 2026

Where to Watch

Moana (2026) starts streaming on Disney+ on October 21, 2026. It was released in theaters on July 10, 2026.

Have you seen the live-action “Moana”? Share your thoughts in the comments below.