Moana (2026)

My Review

“Moana” is a live action adaptation of the 2016 film, and its sequel of 2024. The story tells of a daughter of a Polynesian village chief who answers the Ocean’s call to save her starving island. She travels beyond the reef to track down Maui for help. Director Thomas Kail and screenwriters Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller put together an anemic version of the first two films, with nothing new or innovative to offer. They undoubtedly moved too fast in bringing out the live action version.

The cast includes Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, Rena Owen as Grandma, John Tui and Frankie Adams as Moana’s parents, and Jemaine Clement as the voice of the giant crab. The mediocre music was composed by Mark Mancina, Lin-Manual Miranda, and Opetaia Foai. The boring “Moana” is a box office bomb for Walt Disney Pictures, Seven Bucks Productions, Flynn Picture Company, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and The Walt Disney Company. It was filmed in Oahu, Hawaii, and Atlanta, Georgia.