Moana (2026): The Ocean Called, Disney Sent Another Remake

Lede

Disney remade a 2016 animation with so much CGI that the “live-action” label feels like the film’s first musical number.

Hermit Off Script

I probably would have seen Moana even without IMAX because Dwayne Johnson can still turn a cinema listing into a mild obligation. I knew it was a musical, which is not where my film appetite usually goes to feed, so without the giant screen I would probably have left disappointed. In IMAX, though, the film earns its ticket. The ocean, islands, colour and wide scenery have the scale needed to remind me why cinemas still exist. Nowadays, IMAX is often the only format that can make leaving the sofa feel like a decision rather than an administrative error. The problem is that most of this “live-action” beauty is still CGI. Disney has taken an animation, rebuilt much of it digitally, placed human actors inside it, and asked us to admire the bold new realism. I still don’t understand why a 2016 animation needed a 2026 remake. My imagination offers several answers, but the calculator keeps winning. Dwayne Johnson was probably the main reason I went. He sings, or at least he successfully escorts the melody from one side of the scene to the other. The film keeps selling Maui through Johnson’s familiar charisma and carefully displayed muscle, but it doesn’t uncover anything more interesting than the animated performance already had. I liked the film far more when the Pacific voices, rhythms and languages took control. That is when it had identity. When it returned to polished English musical mode, I understood the words but felt less of the culture. Understanding isn’t the same as flavour. I still prefer the animation. The remake is colourful, picturesque and made for IMAX, but it often feels like the original wearing an expensive human costume. I assumed it would make a lot of money anyway, because Disney has trained us to confuse recognition with desire. Its opening weekend suggests even the ocean can return a product to sender. IMAX made the remake worth seeing; the animation still made Moana worth loving.

Moana | Final Trailer

Moana (2026): Disney Reprints the Ocean in Live Action Again

Chosen by the ocean, Moana sails beyond Motunui’s reef to restore prosperity to her people, reluctantly joining Maui, a demigod with a missing hook and enough confidence to count as extra cargo.

Their journey brings storms, monsters, songs and a heroic quantity of expensive digital water. Catherine Laga’aia gives Moana warmth and conviction, while Dwayne Johnson’s Maui arrives with familiar charm, carefully displayed muscle and the faint air of a man singing because the contract has reached that paragraph.

It is colourful, sincere and made for an IMAX screen. It is also the same beloved 2016 voyage rebuilt with human actors inside a world that often remains animated. Moana must restore the heart of Te Fiti, but the ocean’s greater mystery is why Disney thought this story needed launching again.

Cast and credits

Director: Thomas Kail
Writers: Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller
Genre: Musical fantasy adventure
Main cast: Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Frankie Adams and Rena Owen
Composer: Mark Mancina, with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina
Production company/studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Seven Bucks Productions and Flynn Picture Company
Runtime: 120 minutes
Release year and platform: 2026, cinemas including IMAX

What does not make sense

Calling it “live action” when the ocean, animals, monsters and much of the environment still depend on digital animation.
Remaking a film released less than 10 years ago, only 19 months after its animated sequel.
Finding the strongest cultural identity in Pacific voices and languages, then repeatedly returning to polished English musical habits.
Using IMAX scale to justify the cinema ticket while retelling almost the same story.
Bringing back the same Maui performer without finding much that the animated version could not already do.

Sense check / The numbers

The film opened in the UK and US on 10 July 2026, carries a PG rating and runs for 120 minutes. [Disney, IMDb]
The live-action remake arrived less than 10 years after the 2016 animation and only 19 months after Moana 2. [AP]
A reported $250 million production budget met studio estimates of $43 million in the US and Canada, plus $52 million internationally, for a $95 million worldwide opening. [AP]
As reported on 13 July 2026, critics stood at 34 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, while 63 per cent of surveyed viewers said they would definitely recommend it. Parents reached 78 per cent, and CinemaScore reported A-. [AP]
The soundtrack was released on 26 June 2026, credits original songs to 3 writers and composers, and includes 1 new song, “Along the Way”. [Disney]

The sketch

Scene 1: The IMAX pardon
A viewer stands before an enormous ocean-filled IMAX screen while a tiny musical-note warning hangs beside the ticket desk.
Dialogue:
Viewer: “I don’t like musicals.”
IMAX: “Look at that ocean.”
Viewer: “Fine. One ticket.”

Scene 2: The live-action miracle
One actor stands on a digital beach while a crowded CGI department builds the sea, sky, animals and monsters behind him.
Dialogue:
Studio: “Now it is live action.”
CGI team: “We built the ocean.”
Animation: “Welcome back.”

Scene 3: The remake calculator
An executive sits beside two successful Moana posters while a machine launches the same canoe towards the screen again.
Dialogue:
Original: “Still being watched.”
Sequel: “Still fresh.”
Executive: “Launch it again.”

What to watch, not the show

The financial logic that treats familiarity as safer than a new story.
Premium formats becoming the main reason to buy a cinema ticket.
Pacific culture carrying the film’s identity while English musical conventions carry the sales pitch.
CGI artists doing much of the visible work beneath the friendlier label of “live action”.
A star’s recognisable brand being used as proof that a remake has added something.
Whether a soft opening changes Disney’s remake habit or merely changes the next marketing budget.

The Hermit take

IMAX gives this remake a reason to visit the cinema.
The animation still gives Moana a reason to exist.

Keep or toss

Keep / Toss.
Keep the IMAX spectacle, Pacific music and Catherine Laga’aia.
Toss the belief that every successful animation needs a human costume.

Sources

Disney film page and official credits: https://movies.disney.com/moana-2026
Disney UK release page: https://www.disney.co.uk/movies/moana-2026
Associated Press box-office report: https://apnews.com/article/moana-box-office-b4a448b95edf0a5d9b47c471f9848104
Guardian review and CGI assessment: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/08/moana-review-live-action-dwayne-johnson-rock-catherine-lagaaia
Disney UK soundtrack announcement: https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-moana-single-along-the-way-by-lin-manuel-miranda-out-now
UK and Ireland opening figures: https://press.disney.co.uk/news/walt-disney-studios-dominates-the-uk-%26-ireland-box-office-taking-the-number-1-spot-for-moana-and-number-2-for-toy-story-5
IMDb title and technical details: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27419466/technical/