Collider critic Taylor Gates has reviewed Disney's new live-action remake of *Moana*, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Maui and newcomer Catherine Laga'aia as Moana, and found it underwhelming. Published on 8 July 2026, the review argues that the film feels unnecessary — particularly as the animated original was released only a decade ago — and that, while nothing is grievously wrong with it, most of its elements fall "disappointingly flat".

The review places the remake within Disney's long-running trend of live-action reimaginings, which date back to the 1990s with *The Jungle Book* and *101 Dalmatians* and have appeared at least annually since 2015's *Cinderella*. Gates notes that titles such as *Beauty and the Beast* (2017), *The Lion King* (2019) and *Lilo & Stitch* (2025) each earned Disney over a billion dollars, making them relatively safe bets amid economic uncertainty, with a live-action *Tangled* filming and a *Lilo & Stitch* sequel in pre-production. The piece also recaps the familiar plot: 16-year-old Moana is chosen by the ocean to return the goddess Te Fiti's stolen heart, teaming up with the demigod Maui and battling foes from coconut pirates to a giant crab.