Ten years since the original animated film made us fall in love with the island of Motunui and the surrounding ocean, Disney’s Moana returns to our screens in a live-action format.

Moana (2026)

As a live-action remake, this film is most likely familiar to many. Set in ancient Polynesia, the story follows Moana, who is chosen by the ocean to break an ancient curse threatening her dying home island of Motunui. To save her people, she must voyage across the sea to find the legendary, shape-shifting demigod Maui and convince him to help her return the stolen heart of the goddess Te Fiti.

Our thoughts on Moana (2026)

Many understandably questioned the decision to go through with a live-action remake of an animated film only a decade old. But for someone who hasn’t seen the animated film in ages, the live-action remake of Moana (2026) delivered a cinematic experience that feels like watching a beloved memory come to life in a brand-new format.

While I haven’t seen the Moana (2016) in years, the live-action remake still felt so familiar, because for the most part, the film is a dedicated, nearly frame-by-frame retelling of the original animated journey. But it breathes fresh life into the script by peppering in new, sharp-witted quips that highlighted the great chemistry between the two leads.

The dynamic of Moana and Maui in the anime film was already great, and Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson onscreen with their back-and-forth banter was a delight to see. From their very first meeting on that rocky island, they clicked instantly in that “bickering siblings who reunited after so long” type of way.

When Moana is caught in the waves, her leg wrapped in a rope, it felt worrying for a second. Her drowning sequence is genuinely scary and grounded in a way animation simply couldn’t replicate. (To be honest, I’m a little worried it might be trauma-inducing for some kids.)

Visually, the film is a triumph. Each scene is so gorgeous that it made me want to go to the nearest tropical beach.

The grand introduction of the voyaging boats at the start of the film was stunning, while the sequence with the voyagers’ spirits was equally as gorgeous.

While the humans are great, my personal favorite characters might just be the non-human ones. The Ocean is as playful and sentient as ever, Maui’s living tattoos are still expressive, and the Kakamora (the little coconut pirates) are delightfully cute. And who can forget Heihei, who answers Moana’s questions and statements in his own clucking way. He even gets a heroic if hilarious moment, saving the heart pendant with his little chicken legs and beak.

Our verdict: see it or skip it?

This live-action remake is a fun, adventure film for families to watch together, especially for those who loved the magic of the original animated movie. It might not hold up to the wonders of the original, but it’s a good enough film to watch with the whole fam.

So we say see it if you’re bringing your kids, nieces and nephews, and anyone who grew up watching the 2016 Moana.

At the end of the day, this movie feels like meeting an old friend we haven’t seen in a while. Moana (2026) manages to capture the original in a live-action format, while still offering a gorgeous, cinematic spectacle to enjoy with the family.

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