Moana (Live Action): A Lifeless Autopilot Adaptation

When it was announced that there would be a live action adaptation of Disney’s hit animated feature Moana, the most common response was why. The original film is not that old, first releasing in 2016, and comes at an even more awkward time, releasing two years after 2024’s animated sequel, Moana 2 (though technically a series repurposed into a film). While Disney has continued to power forward in making live action adaptations of their animated properties, this adaptation still feels ill-timed. Nevertheless, here we are. For those looking for any distinguishing factors between the original animated film and this adaptation, they will not find any as this new version is identical. That said, is there any reason to see this new version, the short answer is no. Other than the story, the other constant is Dwayne Johnson returning to play his live action counterpart.

Donned with a distracting wig and the same animated shtick, tackling Maui in live action only exposes Johnson’s flaws as an actor. In the end, animation is one thing but the character, and that schtick, does not work in live action. As a result, Johnson is truly painful to watch while trying to rekindle that magic. Meanwhile, the film can never quite shake the feeling that it, and everyone involved, are simply running on autopilot. Hitting the same beats once again, the excitement and surprise of it all just isn’t here. Despite this, the legions and legions of Disney fans will continue to support this latest effort.

The same name as the animated original, Moana has the same story as the original. That story follows Moana (Lagaʻaia), the only daughter of Chief Tui (John Tui). Obsessed with the sea, and the potential wonders of the sea beyond the reef that kept her and her people confined to the same island, she has to be constantly reminded by her father to stay on the island, as the sea beyond the reef was deemed too dangerous. Preparing to be the next leader of her people, her responsibilities often went first. Becoming of age, Moana was entrusted with more responsibility in order to guide her people forward. However, moving forward would mean going beyond the reef.

Part of a long line of navigators, it was Moana’s destiny to venture out into the unknown to one day save her people. When the supply of fish and healthy crops started to dwindle, the culprit was a demigod named Maui (Johnson), who stole the heart of the goddess, Te Fiti. The only to save her island is for Moana to somehow convince Maui to return Te Fiti’s heart. A true coming-of-age story, venturing out into the comfort and safety of her island, her resolve was put to the test against the open seas. However, Maui proved to be the bigger challenge. Still the erratic personality audiences have come to know, it was up to Moana to manage that personality in order to direct him towards her ultimate goal. A challenge in and of itself, the same back-and-forth ensued, as they clashed and delivered the same banter, it just doesn’t hit quite the same this time around.

Seeing that the plot is the same, and the main dynamic is the same, Moana becomes an even more predictable exercise. Making itself hard to ever get up for, its only selling point is nostalgia which feels odd, when it is for a film that is only 10-years-old. On the other hand, its attempts to recreate the grandeur of the animated original also fail, boasting live action set pieces that are as real-looking as their animated counterparts. Another example of the film simply running on autopilot and going through the motions from scene to scene, those set pieces may be enough of a distinguishing factor for some audiences but, aside from the CGI, they have no life or anything to them worth investing in on an emotional level.

Showing signs of life by bringing back the songs from the original film, plus a new original song from Lin-Manuel Miranda, they sound as good as they ever did. However, they don’t make for much of a selling point when one can just as easily find the original film’s soundtrack instead. This adaptation’s final act of lifelessness is within its script and direction. While running back the plot of original is an easy copout, it is executed in such a lifeless way that prevents it from standing out on its own. Similarly, when it comes to live action adaptations, not everything can be translated from one medium to another. The character of Maui is a prime example of this. Be it Johnson’s wig, or his painful overselling of the same Maui shtick. A character that works best in an animated setting, in live action, he stands out for the wrong reasons, exposing him as an actor. Paired up with Lagaʻaia, in her feature film debut, she does her best as the live action Moana, but here, she finds herself drowned out by a role that holds her back from her true potential.

Above all else, this Moana is an adaptation that, circumstances aside, fails to justify itself as it aimlessly operates on autopilot and simply goes through the motions, for better or worse.

still courtesy of Disney

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.