Moana Review: A Stunning Animated Adventure

The premise hews closely to the 2016 blueprint: on the island of Motunui, teenage Moana (Lagaʻaia) feels an irresistible pull toward the open sea, despite her father Chief Tui’s (John Tui) strict prohibition against reef-crossing. When a blight begins killing the island’s crops and fish, Moana’s grandmother Gramma Tala (Rena Owen) reveals that the ocean chose her to restore the heart of Te Fiti, a stolen gem that cursed the land. Setting sail with the shape-shifting demigod Maui (Johnson), Moana must traverse monstrous seas, outwit the glittering crab Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement), and confront the fiery lava demon Te Kā. The journey becomes an internal test: Moana learns that leadership means listening to her own instinct, not just imitating her ancestors. New subplots - including an extended flashback to Moana’s childhood (Emma Puahi-Shapazian and Amaya Masoli share the younger roles) - add emotional weight but also pad the runtime.

Kail, a stage director known for “Hamilton,” brings a theatrical sensibility to the Pacific landscapes: the coral reefs shimmer with tactile detail, and the ocean’s living, swirling personality feels almost sentient. Lagaʻaia is a revelation - her Moana carries both steel and vulnerability, her voice soaring through “How Far I’ll Go” with a rawness that the original could only suggest. Rena Owen lends Gramma Tala a weathered, mystical gravity that anchors the film’s emotional core. Yet the CGI suffers a persistent uncanny valley. Johnson’s Maui, rendered as a digital cartoon dropped into live-action backdrops, never occupies the same physical space as Moana; their interactions, meant to be playful and charged, feel like a screen test. The musical numbers remain potent - Jemaine Clement’s campy “Shiny” is a standout - but the pacing drags in the second act, bogged down by an unnecessary chase sequence. The TMDb rating of 5.8/10 feels fair: competent but not transcendent, a movie that respects its roots without extending them.

Pros

• Catherine Lagaʻaia gives a breakout performance that owns the role.
• The ocean’s visual design is gorgeous, with tactile, swirling water effects.
• Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs still hit hard, especially “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome.”
• Rena Owen brings subtle, mournful depth to Gramma Tala.
• The final confrontation with Te Kā offers genuine emotional resonance.

Cons

• Dwayne Johnson’s Maui CGI feels disconnected from the live-action world.
• Pacing lags in the middle, with unnecessary padding in the second act.
• The 115-minute runtime feels stretched compared to the original’s tighter 107 minutes.
• Some comedic beats land flat; Johnson’s ad-libs clash with the film’s earnest tone.
• A new subplot about Moana’s childhood backstory adds little to the core arc.

“Moana” (2026) is a respectful but unnecessary remake - a movie that polishes the original’s shell without finding its pearl. Catherine Lagaʻaia deserves to become a star, and her chemistry with the ocean is genuinely moving. But when a live-action film’s best sequences are the ones where the main character sings alone on a beach, something has drifted off course. For fans of the animated classic, this version offers a familiar, safe harbor. For everyone else, it’s a competent matinee that will likely fade like a receding tide. Watch it for Lagaʻaia’s fire, then go rewatch the 2016 original to remember what made the story feel like discovery. 6/10