In 2016, Moana won over the public and quickly rose to be one of the most popular Disney films, attracting both adults and children. Ten years after its release, the Polynesian heroine is preparing to return to the big screen in a live-action adaptation. But since the project was announced, reactions have been particularly mixed.
In recent years, live-action remakes have become one of Disney’s priorities, which continues to produce them. However, these adaptations often struggle to convince. “The Little Mermaid” and “Snow White” experienced disappointing results, struggling to attract audiences to theaters despite massive marketing campaigns. These repeated failures had also pushed the studio to pause certain projects, notably “Rapunzel”. The unexpected success of “Lilo & Stitch“, which exploded at the global box office with several billion dollars in revenue, has revived the interest of the American giant.
The main criticism made by fans remains the fear of a remake that is too faithful to the original, but with less magic. Many believe that the emotion and poetry specific to animated films are lost in these realistic versions. For many Internet users, the verdict is clear: Disney is seriously lacking in new ideas.
This first trailer features the first look at Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, as well as a back shot of Dwayne Johnson, who reprises his role as Maui. A praised casting, but not enough to arouse enthusiasm, especially since the animated film remains very present in memories, reinforced by the release of “Vaiana 2” in 2025.
In the comments, we can read: “We want real new classics with art and magic, we want the Disney of our childhood“, “They should have made another live action cartoon, because I find that Moana is still so new, with the 2 coming out in 2025“, or even “We blew hard“.
Between nostalgia, fatigue with remakes and fear of seeing the original distorted, “Moana” live-action version therefore leaves with a tired audience, with some curious to discover if Disney will be able to take up the challenge.
