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Movie falters in execution as storyline stays similar, but less colourful, significant
DISNEY’S live-action Moana is pointless. It insists on itself while doing almost nothing to distinguish itself from the animated film released 10 years ago.
The story is the same. The songs are the same. Most of the scenes, jokes and emotional beats are the same. It would not be surprising to learn Disney simply took the original screenplay and made only minor changes before filming it again with human actors and an enormous amount of CGI.
What exactly does this version offer besides looking blander, duller and slightly more colourless?
Catherine Laga’aia is fine as Moana but the material gives her little opportunity to make the role her own. Her acting is about as good as the original voice performance, which raises the obvious question of why anyone should choose this version over the animated film.
There is not a single line delivered better here. There is not a single shot that looks better. None of the songs have been improved. The film reproduces almost everything audiences already know, then drains the colour from the screen in the name of looking more “real”.
Maui vanity tour
Dwayne Johnson’s long-running vanity tour has probably reached its peak here.
Johnson reprises his role as Maui, although the character now looks deeply strange in live action. His huge prosthetic body, smooth skin and digitally altered appearance constantly create an uncanny valley effect.
Maui has no visible nipples and a belly button, which when combined with his obviously fake wig becomes increasingly distracting once noticed.
Johnson gives almost the same performance he gave in the animated film. His delivery, comic timing and singing remain familiar, except they now come from a version of Maui designed to resemble the actor as closely as possible.
The result feels less like a fresh interpretation of the character and more like just another extension of the “Dwayne Johnson” brand.
Calling this a live-action movie is also generous when nearly everything outside the actors is computer-generated. The ocean, creatures, action sequences and many environments are CGI. Like Disney’s supposed live-action The Lion King (2019), it is essentially another animated film made to look photorealistic.
Animation deserves better
The remake is disrespectful to animation as a medium.
Disney has already abandoned traditional 2D animation for most of its major releases. Now even its successful 3D animated films are being treated as rough drafts for more expensive remakes.
The original Moana (2016) had colour, movement and personality. Its characters could stretch, react and move in ways that suited the story. The new film replaces that visual freedom with stiff realism and artificial-looking digital environments.
Why would children want to watch a beloved animated movie rebuilt with less colour and less imagination? Who was asking for this?
Disney is never beating the slop factory allegations while it continues producing films like this.
The studio once made great art and helped push animation forward. It now appears more interested in rehashing old material because familiar titles are easier to market.
There may be one good original film for every pile of recycled content but that does not excuse the wider creative bankruptcy.
The film features Polynesian actors and cultural elements, but anyone looking for deeper Polynesian representation should seek out films by Polynesian writers and directors rather than depend on Disney’s corporate version of it.
Moana adds nothing to the original. It is a near one-to-one remake with less colour, less charm and no real reason to exist. Watch the animated film instead.
