‘Moana’ Review: Disney’s Live-Action Remake Finds Real Magic With Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson

Catherine Laga’aia makes a captivating debut and Dwayne Johnson brings playful self-awareness to a buoyant live-action ‘Moana’ that proves more charming than necessary.

Disney’s live-action remake machine remains easy to question. At its most cynical, it can feel like a studio repackaging its safest bets for another round of nostalgia-driven returns. But every so often, one of these remakes finds enough heart, craft and personality to justify itself beyond brand recognition. ‘Moana’ is one of those better surprises.

Directed by Thomas Kail, this new version of the 2016 animated favorite arrives only a decade after the original, which makes the remake feel unusually soon on paper. But the film quickly proves that timing matters less than execution. It does not reinvent ‘Moana,’ nor does it need to. Instead, it keeps the story’s sturdy emotional foundation intact while giving the material a warm, colorful and genuinely winning live-action form.

The film follows Moana, played at 16 by Australian newcomer Catherine Laga’aia, a strong-willed teenager raised on the island of Motonui by her parents Tui and Sina. She is loved, protected and expected to one day lead her people, but her deepest pull has always been toward the ocean. Her grandmother Tala, played with earthy warmth by Rena Owen, understands that calling better than anyone and keeps alive the ancestral stories that connect Moana to something larger than her island home.

As disease spreads through the coconut trees and fish disappear from the surrounding waters, Moana learns that the trouble is tied to an ancient wound. A thousand years earlier, the demigod Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti, the goddess of nature, hoping to give humanity the gift of creation. When the heart was lost, a darkness began spreading across the sea. To save her people, Moana must venture beyond the reef, find Maui and force him to restore what he took.

That setup remains one of the original film’s strongest elements, and the remake wisely does not tamper with it. What gives this version its spark is Laga’aia. She brings openness, confidence and a natural emotional clarity to Moana, making her feel both mythic and recognizably young. Her Moana is brave without being invulnerable, stubborn without becoming one-note and deeply connected to family, home and heritage without ever losing her need to discover who she is on her own terms.

Dwayne Johnson, returning to the role he voiced in the animated film, is also in his element as Maui. The performance works because Johnson leans into the character’s vanity, charm and ridiculousness with just enough self-parody. Maui flexes, preens, flips his hair and demands worship from the “tiny human” who refuses to be impressed by him. Johnson has always been most effective when he lets his movie-star image become part of the joke, and ‘Moana’ gives him plenty of room to do exactly that.

The chemistry between Laga’aia and Johnson carries the film through its slightly overextended middle stretch. Their dynamic is familiar but durable: the self-absorbed demigod who wants to avoid responsibility and the determined young leader who refuses to let him. The ocean journey could lose about 10 minutes, and some of the green-screen-heavy sequences feel flatter than the rest of the film’s lush visual palette. Still, their reluctant-buddy rapport keeps the story buoyant even when the spectacle briefly becomes repetitive.

The music remains a major part of the appeal. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina’s songs still work beautifully in this form, especially because the cast brings personality rather than simple imitation to the numbers. “How Far I’ll Go” remains the emotional centerpiece, a classic Disney “I want” song reframed as a declaration of leadership and identity. Johnson’s “You’re Welcome” is as knowingly goofy as it should be, and Jemaine Clement’s return as Tamatoa gives “Shiny” the same glam-rock comic charge that made it such a standout the first time around.

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Kail directs with energy and affection, leaning into the story’s sense of wonder without turning the film into a hollow effects reel. There are plenty of CG-heavy elements, from the ocean’s magical movements to Maui’s living tattoos, coconut pirates and the volcanic threat of Te Kā. At times, those touches raise the familiar question of whether live-action remakes of animated films are still mostly animated in another form. But ‘Moana’ has enough tactile beauty, humor and emotional sincerity to make that question fade.

The film is also visually inviting in a way that feels central to its appeal. Shot in part on O’ahu, it fills the frame with tropical color, ocean light, textured costumes and island landscapes that give the story a sense of place. Liz McGregor’s costume work is especially lovely, full of detail without distracting from the characters. The final act, in particular, has a sweeping beauty that makes the movie feel like both an adventure and a homecoming.

The supporting cast strengthens the emotional world around Moana. John Tui and Frankie Adams bring warmth and dignity to her parents, especially in the way Sina quietly recognizes her daughter’s drive before Tui is ready to accept it. Owen’s Tala gives the film one of its most important emotional anchors, embodying the wisdom of the ancestors without turning the character into a vague spiritual symbol.

The remake does not bring many new ideas to ‘Moana,’ and that may frustrate anyone hoping for a bold reinterpretation. But this is not a film trying to complicate the original. Its goal is to honor the animated movie’s spirit while giving audiences a fresh, vibrant version of the same journey. On that level, it succeeds.

What makes this ‘Moana’ work is its sincerity. It believes in the coming-of-age story, in the cultural specificity of the setting, in the importance of family and ancestry, and in the idea that a young woman can define herself without needing romance or royal destiny to complete her. Laga’aia gives the film its heart, Johnson gives it a playful comic engine and Kail keeps the whole thing moving with generosity and color.

Disney did not need to remake ‘Moana’ this soon. But against the odds, this version earns its place. It is lively, heartfelt and beautifully carried by a newcomer who makes one of Disney’s most beloved modern heroines feel newly alive.

RATING: ★★★★☆

CREDITS

Release date: Friday, July 10
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Jemaine Clement, Catherine Laga’aia
Director: Thomas Kail
Screenwriters: Jared Bush, Dana Ledoux Miller
Rated: PG,
Run Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

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