Disney live-action Moana opens to poor reviews

Disney's live-action remake of "Moana" arrives in theaters on Friday, July 10, 2026, facing a wave of negative critical reviews that question its necessity and artistic merit. The film, which held its world premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 7, is a largely faithful retelling of the 2016 animated hit, starring newcomer Catherine Laga'aia as the adventurous voyager Moana and featuring Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the demigod Maui.

Initial reviews, aggregated on the review site Rotten Tomatoes, show a score in the low 30s, placing it among the lowest-rated Disney live-action remakes. Critics widely describe the film as a creatively hollow, shot-for-shot recreation that adds little new interpretation. Many note the film's extensive use of computer-generated environments and visual effects results in a perceived artificiality, lacking the physical weight and epic scale of the original adventure. While the musical numbers by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa'i are retained and praised, reviewers argue their impact is diminished for an audience already intimately familiar with the decade-old source material.

The central critique focuses on the remake's...