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Moana live-action remake left disappointingly flat, Collider critic finds
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
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.
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In short
- Critic finds the live-action Moana flat and unnecessary.
- The Rock returns as Maui; Catherine Laga'aia plays Moana.
- Disney's remakes are lucrative but increasingly risk-averse.
How this story developed
- 4 months ago 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.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Live-action remakes address genuine audience demand, with billion-pound earners demonstrating that millions find authentic appeal in experiencing beloved stories with real actors and cinematography. These adaptations maintain classic narratives in cultural circulation, provide creative employment, and their consistent commercial success suggests they represent legitimate artistic expression rather than mere cash grabs.
The case against
Live-action remakes risk artistic redundancy when their animated originals remain culturally vibrant and recent, diverting substantial resources that could produce genuinely original stories. Their financial success reflects audience appetite for familiar material rather than inherent artistic value, and a truly innovative industry should prioritise bold new narratives over remakes that often struggle to recapture animation's distinctive emotional power.
Explained simply
Disney's remake of Moana brings the 2016 animated film into live action, with Dwayne Johnson returning as the demigod Maui and newcomer Catherine Laga'aia stepping into the title role as the teenage wayfinder chosen by the ocean to restore a stolen heart to the goddess Te Fiti. It's part of a long list of Disney live-action remakes stretching back decades, a strategy the studio has leaned on heavily since the mid-2010s.
These remakes matter commercially because several past instalments, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Lilo & Stitch, have each grossed over a billion dollars, making them dependable earners for Disney even as the wider industry faces economic pressure. More remakes, including Tangled and a Lilo & Stitch sequel, are already in the pipeline, so how Moana is received feeds into a broader conversation about whether this approach still has creative or commercial merit.
The story here centres on a review of the new film by critic Taylor Gates for the entertainment outlet Collider, assessing how the live-action version compares to the original and whether it justifies its own existence.
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Originally published by Collider as “‘Moana’ Review: The Rock’s Live-Action Disney Remake Isn’t a Voyage Worth Taking”.