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The unveiling of Disney’s latest live-action adaptation, Moana, has ignited a wave of curiosity and skepticism across the internet, with many viewers pondering a single, persistent question: why?
In a move that has surprised fans, the trailer for the live-action Moana appears to closely mirror its 2016 animated predecessor. Considering that less than a decade has passed since the original film’s debut, and with an animated sequel released just last year, the timing of this remake has raised eyebrows.
In this new rendition, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprises his role as the charismatic, shapeshifting demigod Maui. Meanwhile, the titular character of Moana has been recast, with Catherine Laga’aia stepping into the role originally voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho in the animated films.
This adaptation of Moana sets a record for the shortest interval between an animated original and its live-action version, prompting many online to question the necessity of such a rapid remake.
Disney’s strategy of producing live-action remakes is not new; indeed, these reimagined classics have proven to be a lucrative venture for the company. However, the swift turnaround for Moana has sparked debate about the motivations behind this particular project.
The Internet Is Baffled By The Live-Action ‘Moana’ Remake
Moana marks the shortest time between the release of the original animation and live-action remake, and the internet noted that this one seemed particularly unnecessary.
Disney has released live-action remakes before, of course—many times—they’re something of a cash cow.
Both The Jungle Book and The Lion King remakes pushed the boundaries of photorealistic GCI—the Moana trailer shows plenty of CGI too, more stylized than Lion King, but less cartoonish than the original film.
The colorful setting and fantastical elements of Moana means that the live-action remake leans heavily on CGI, making it appear as though the characters are acting against a greenscreen for many of the shots.
Fans questioned the point of remaking a CGI-animated film with a heavily CGI film, the live actors marking the only real distinction between the two.
Of course, the film isn’t made for internet critics, but for families, kids and parents who already know they like Moana and would happily watch it again in a slightly new form.
Despite the complaints of the internet, the film is almost guaranteed to rule the box office—Moana 2 made more than a billion, and so did live-action Lilo & Stitch (even if the altered ending proved controversial).
Still, the slate of live-action remakes shows how Disney’s reputation is changing, as the studio once known for intricately crafted, original animated films is becoming a content factory—the news that AI-generated shorts are coming to Disney+ adds to this sense of disenchantment.
Live-action remakes are another symptom of nostalgia culture, but Disney’s haste to remake their animated library feels almost like a form of resource extraction.
Dreamworks recently followed in Disney’s footsteps, releasing a live-action remake of How To Train Your Dragon, which ended up making more than the original, and received positive reviews from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Surely, live-action Frozen is only a matter of time, and live-action Tangled is already in development, but there will come a time when there’s nothing left to remake.
Could Pixar’s library be next? It seems heretical, but it is possible.
Any animated film featuring human protagonists could potentially be converted into live-action, even if it seems pointless to Disney fans.
Both Moana and Frozen have sequels (and Frozen 3 is incoming), so perhaps Disney can keep the live-action money train moving—plus, Encanto is right there.
