Live-Action Moana Is Coming

You read that right; Disney and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are working on a live-action Moana film. Moana is only seven years old, and I fail to see what they could reasonably update. But the film has stayed at the top of movie streaming charts since Disney+ launched, and they seem intent on remaking everything. Moana’s voice actress, Auli’i Cravalho, is producing the film along with Disney and Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks.

Why is this happening? Maui is my favorite of Johnson’s characters by a landslide because, despite fitting into his wheelhouse, he still feels like a distinct character. Maui is more than an avatar for Dwayne Johnson. But Moana isn’t even a decade old, and it’s a Disney original, not a fairy tale adaptation, so they’re at no risk of losing the copyright. I truly don’t understand why this would ever be necessary. Don’t get me wrong; I’m aware that Disney, like any company, wants money. This movie is beloved almost universally and seems to be one of their most popular newer films. I love Moana, and that’s exactly why I don’t want them to do this, and I think it will be a mistake for the brand. You can even see how they’ve tried to replicate this success with a film like Raya and the Last Dragon. Moana is a near-perfect film with gorgeous animation, clever, catchy songs, and emotionally satisfying character arcs for Moana and Maui. The only real problems I can think of are the Kakamora scene and how quickly the leads reconcile in the third act. Suffice it to say, Disney isn’t going to improve on this story; I don’t see how they could, and that’s not why they’re doing this, anyway.

But what do you think? Do you want to see Moana in live-action? Talk to us in the comments!

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