Moana (2026): It's a beautiful, fun voyage that feels slightly lost

Once again, Moana is ready to set sail.

Directed by Thomas Kail, Moana tells the story of a young woman (Catherine Laga’aia) who lives on the remote island of Motanui. As the daughter of the chief, it is expected that Moana will take over leadership of the community. However, she can’t help but be drawn to the ocean. When she finally voyages beyond the reef, she enlists the aid of Maui (Dwayne Johnson), demigod of the wind and sea, to restore an ancient artifact that could save her village from extinction.

In many ways, Moana is a huge win in the canon of Disney’s live-action remakes. With energy and enthusiasm, the film successfully brings the animated version to life in unexpectedly charming ways. The musical numbers pop, the worlds look endearing and performances are lively, especially from Laga’aia and Johnson. (In fact, with his grand return as Maui, Johnson actually elevates the film with his trademark charisma.)

Interestingly, one of the most glaring improvements from Disney’s live action versions of the past is the way that Moana never fully commits to the realism that has plagued other projects. While characters like The Little Mermaid’s Flounder or The Lion King’s Simba felt like awkward attempts to make the real world feel magical, Moana allows its animated characters to feel… well… animated. From Tamatoa to Heihei, the animal friends and foes never look too real. Instead, they simply feel like cartoon characters inhabiting the real world. It’s a definite upgrade that adds to the fun of the experience. And, in the end, it’s entertaining. It’s empowering.

It’s Moana.

So, if all of that is true, why does it feel like its missing… something?

The truth is that, in a strange way, that same dedication to recreating the original is also part of the problem. In developing the film as a mostly shot-for-shot remake, Moana doesn’t offer anything particularly new. In essence, it doesn’t justify its own existence. For example, while new versions of Mermaid and Aladdin kept the source material in view, they also managed to bring some fresh perspectives.

Now, it should be pointed out that many of these remakes have needed fresh perspectives. Thus far, all of the remakes outside of Lilo & Stitch were made from films from over 30 years ago, requiring updated conversations about heroes, gender and much, much more. Films like Snow White, The Jungle Book and Mulan all tried to address the glaring holes in their source material, with varying degrees of success. (Even Lilo & Stitch made adjustments to its storytelling as it also was from over two decades ago.)

Yet Moana, made only ten years ago, doesn’t need to do that so the filmmakers opted to make a true adaptation of the film. And, while it looks great for all the reasons listed above, it does leave the end product feeling a little flatter than expected simply because it has nothing new to say.

Though, most importantly, there’s one ingredient missing from Disney’s magic potion. And it’s a fairly important one.

Nostalgia.

Over the past few decades, Disney has positively fueled itself on nostalgia. As a company, they are the absolute masters of honouring kids of the present while helping adults reclaim a piece of their childhood. Remakes of films like Little Mermaid, Cinderella, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast were massive successes as parents who loved those stories as kids themselves ran to theatres to bring their children. But, with only 10 years since the original’s release, Moana is almost a child itself by these standards. (What’s more, they’re still currently making Moana animated films, with the sequel’s successful release less than 2 years ago and a third entry already in the words.)

On the one hand, that can work to the film’s advantage. After all, the character is at the peak of its popularity. Yet, at the same time, it also doesn’t have that same sense of ‘passing down the story’ that makes Disney such a unique company in its own right.

Ironically, none of these factors affect the quality of the film. As I’ve said, I believe that Moana is a strong revision of the original story that actually fixes many of the problems from Disney’s remakes of the past. However, its hard to escape these other issues that affect the viewing of the film from the outside. Now, for fans who simply want to see their favourite movie brought to life onscreen, I have no doubt that you’ll be satisfied. (My son, amongst them.) Disney has recreated the island of Motanui with such precision that they may have even charted a course for many live action re-imaginings to come. Still, for people who are looking for something… more… it’s likely that you won’t be as thankful as you could have been.

Even if Disney wants the opportunity to say, “You’re welcome.”

Moana is available in theatres on Friday, July 10^th, 2026.