Collider's Taylor Gates has published a review of Disney's new live-action remake of Moana, released in 2026, and delivers a broadly negative verdict. The film, which stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the demigod Maui and newcomer Catherine Laga'aia as Moana, is described as neither disastrous nor distinguished, with most of its elements falling "disappointingly flat." The review matters as a critical assessment of Disney's ongoing and highly lucrative strategy of remaking its animated hits, arriving just a decade after the original film.

The reviewer argues the remake feels unnecessary, framing it as a product of a risk-averse, economically strained media landscape in which studios and audiences alike favour familiar properties over gambles. She notes that Disney has produced live-action reimaginings since the 1990s and at least one a year since 2015's Cinderella, with titles such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Lilo & Stitch each earning over a billion dollars. The article recaps the plot — Moana being chosen by the ocean to return the goddess Te Fiti's stolen heart with Maui's help — and notes that, despite going in with an open mind, the writer felt the film failed to justify its own existence.