- Disney's live-action Moana is set to release on July 10, 2026.
- The trailer gives us the first look at Catherine Laga'aia as Moana, and visually, the movie appears to be really well done.
- However, it being a frame-to-frame remake of the first movie released not even a decade ago might lead to a negative reception from the audience.
The live-action remake of Moana has finally given us a first look at itself with a new trailer. This live-action movie stars Dwayne Johnson as Maui and Catherine Laga’aia as Moana. This project came to light in April 2023 and is directed by Kail. The complete cast of this movie was only made public in June 2024, and now, as 2025 is coming to an end, we finally have the first look at our disposal. While the CGI work looks pretty well done, the trailer gives away the plot, and in all honesty, it is pretty easy to figure out what it is going to be about, which makes one question, was this live-action remake of Moana 2 really necessary?
What Do We See in the Trailer of the Live-Action Moana?
The trailer brings us the first look at Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, and honestly, she looks perfect for the role. Other than that, we never really get the full look at Dwayne Johnson as Maui, but as much as we get to see, Dwayne appears to be in his top game with this one.
If we talk about the presentation and creation, and quality of this project, everything looks to be well laid out and well executed. However, there is an issue with the movie that might prevent it from delivering the results Disney expects, so let’s talk about it.
The Live-Action Moana Brings Back the Same Story Once Again
Even though everything looks to be top-notch with this movie, it might not do as well as it is expected to do because it brings back a story that is fairly new. Looking at the trailer, it becomes increasingly obvious that the live-action Moana movie is a frame-by-frame remake of the first animated Moana released in 2016. If you are familiar, it might suffer the same catastrophic failure that the 1998 Psycho received for being a frame-to-frame copy of the original movie released in 1960.
Now, there is nothing wrong with remakes; the live-action How to Train Your Dragon (review) was a remake, and also a massive success. The problem here is that Disney is bringing back a movie in live-action, which is not even a decade old. In the case of How to Train Your Dragon, there was a major sense of nostalgia associated with the live-action movie since the original came out back in 2010. So, while I hope that Moana works well in theaters, the chances of it seem to be rather questionable. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
