---
title: "Moana"
year: 2026
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/moana-2026"
fi1m_id: "moana-2026"
imdb_id: "tt27419466"
tmdb_id: 1108427
wikidata_id: "Q118996994"
fi1m_score: 50
critics_score: 49
critics_reviews: 26
published: "2026-09-23T14:21:58.561500+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-23T14:21:59.145714+00:00"
region: "IT"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Moana (2026)

Directed by Thomas Kail · 1h 55m · MiC T · Family, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure

## Identity

Moana

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/moana-2026
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** moana-2026
- **IMDb ID:** tt27419466
- **TMDB ID:** 1108427
- **Wikidata ID:** Q118996994
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27419466/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1108427, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q118996994

**Fi1m score: 50** · Critics 49 from 26 reviews

*In a sentence:* She sings about how far she will go and the answer turns out to be exactly as far as 2016

> Thomas Kail’s live-action Moana follows the 2016 cartoon closely enough to make you wonder why anyone bothered. Catherine Lagaʻaia sings it well and the songs still land, but the sea is a tank, the island a screen, and the adventure has gone.

## Synopsis

On the Pacific island of Motunui, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia), daughter of Chief Tui (John Tui) and Sina (Frankie Adams), is being raised to lead a village that never sails beyond the reef. The fish are leaving the lagoon and the coconuts are rotting on the trees. Her grandmother, Gramma Tala (Rena Owen), tells her the old story: that the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole the heart of the goddess Te Fiti, that a darkness has been spreading across the islands ever since, and that the ocean chose Moana as a small child to put it back. Tui forbids her to leave. Tala shows her the cave where her ancestors’ voyaging canoes lie hidden, and Moana takes a boat out past the reef to find Maui and make him help her.

## Review

Ten years after the cartoon, Disney has remade [*Moana*](https://film.one/film/moana) with people in it. Thomas Kail directs from a script by Dana Ledoux Miller and Jared Bush, and the script follows the 2016 film closely enough that anyone who has seen it will know the next line before it arrives. That is the verdict in short: this is a careful, well-sung copy of a good film, and a copy is what it remains for 115 minutes. If you have never seen the original, it is a passable way to meet the story. If you have, it is a long afternoon of recognising things.

Catherine Lagaʻaia is the reason it is passable. She plays Moana without the bounce the drawn version had, as a serious girl who has been told what her job is and would rather it were a different one, and when she stands on the beach and sings about the line where the sky meets the sea, the voice does what it needs to and the face does more. Rena Owen is her match as Gramma Tala. The two of them on the sand at night gave us the one stretch of the film in which we forgot the original existed, and we were moved by it, more than we expected from a picture we had already half written off. The reason is simple: two actors and a script that, for once, is happy to be quiet. John Tui and Frankie Adams, as her parents, are given less and do it well.

Dwayne Johnson voiced Maui in 2016 and here has to play him with his whole body, and the body is the problem. The demigod’s torso has been built and inflated on a computer until Johnson looks like a man wearing an approximation of himself, and the eye goes to the join every time he turns. When he is allowed to sing, he is fine; “You’re Welcome” is staged as a proper number and is the most fun the film has. Between numbers he does the grin and the eyebrow and not a great deal else, and the film has nothing to fill the gap.

The real loss is the sea. In the cartoon the ocean was a character, a blue hand that pushed and sulked. Here it is water in a tank with a green screen behind it, and Óscar Faura shoots the voyage in close-ups with the horizon out of focus, so that the biggest journey in the story looks like two people on a raft in a shed. John Myhre’s Motunui is better: a village that feels lived in, full of dancers who are plainly people and not a crowd simulation, and Liz McGregor’s costumes have wear on them. But every time the canoe leaves the reef, the film shrinks. Somewhere in the middle of the crossing we were bored, and then we were annoyed at being bored by a story that had held us a decade ago.

Melanie Oliver cuts to the rhythm of the original, beat for beat, which is faithful and also the trouble: the animated film could move a camera through a wave and land a joke in the same second, and the live one has to stop and set up. Mark Mancina, who scored the cartoon, returns, and the songs are still the songs. They survive the transfer better than anything else in the film. There is one new number, which we could not have hummed for you by the time we reached the car park. Jemaine Clement is back as the voice of Tamatoa, the giant crab, and is the only performer who seems to know the whole enterprise is a bit silly.

Disney has been doing this for a while now, and the results range from the honourable to the embalmed. This one is nearer the second. It is not lazy in any way you could point to; the singing is good, the village is handsome, nobody has phoned it in except possibly the demigod. But nothing here improves on the 2016 film, so the only argument for this version is that it exists.

Take the children if they insist and you will get a decent sing-along and a good lead. Otherwise put the cartoon on instead; it is funnier, and the sea is wet.

*Fi1m score 50, published 23 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics do not think this remake needed to exist, and fourteen of the twenty-six reviews are negative. What agreement there is clusters around two things: Catherine Laga’aia, whose Moana is called winning, bright and the film’s one source of life by reviewers on both sides of the verdict, and the Lin-Manuel Miranda songs, which nearly everyone says survive the move to live action intact. Rena Owen’s grandmother earns a handful of kind mentions.

The complaint is the same almost everywhere: a scene-by-scene, line-by-line copy of the 2016 film that adds nothing and loses the animation’s fluidity to studio tanks and green screen. Dwayne Johnson divides them; Variety calls him a perfect fit, The Hollywood Reporter enjoys his winking support, The Times blames him for the leaden result, and several find him on autopilot. The spread is wide only at the top: three reviews call this one of Disney’s better remakes, and the rest sit between mild disappointment and outright irritation.

## Straight answers

**Is Moana worth watching?**

*Moana* (2026) is worth watching only if you have children who insist or have never seen the 2016 cartoon, and we scored it 50. Catherine Lagaʻaia sings well and the songs survive, but the film copies the original so closely that anyone who knows it will spend 115 minutes recognising things. The ocean, a character in the cartoon, is now water in a tank.

**How long is Moana, and what is it rated?**

*Moana* runs 1h 55m and is rated T by the MiC in Italy. It is a family and fantasy film.

**Where can I watch Moana in Italy?**

*Moana* is not on any streaming or rental service in Italy at the moment. It is available in 19 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does Moana compare to Moana?**

*Moana* (2026) is a careful live-action copy of the 2016 cartoon, and the earlier film is better in almost every way. The original is funnier, its ocean moves like a character, and it lands jokes in the same second it moves the camera; the remake has to stop and set up. The new version has a stronger, quieter Moana in Catherine Lagaʻaia, and a Maui who looks assembled on a computer.

**What should I watch after Moana?**

After *Moana*, try [*Moana*](https://film.one/film/moana) (2016, Fi1m 82): The original, still bright, still funny, and the ocean actually moves. Then [*Song of the Sea*](https://film.one/film/song-of-the-sea) (2014, Fi1m 82): Irish hand-drawn sea myth that trusts children with silence and sadness.

### Reviews we read (26)

- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (89/100, inferred): This is the first Disney live-action remake that works, delivering the original’s beauty, comic personality, and enchantment through artful CG and strong performances. The critic singles out Dwayne Johnson’s perfect fit as Maui and Catherine Laga’aia’s beaming Moana for creating a buoyant, visually vibrant world that earns its place alongside the animated film. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/moana-live-action-review-dwayne-johnson-1236802858/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (84/100, inferred): The critic calls it a buoyant surprise and one of Disney’s better live-action remakes, praising the charming new iteration that stands confidently on its own thanks to Catherine Laga’aia’s winning turn and Dwayne Johnson’s winking backup. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/moana-review-dwayne-johnson-catherine-lagaaia-disney-1236641123/)
- **The AV Club**, Jacob Oller (C): It is called a soulless CG-by-numbers remake that soullessly sails a repeat voyage, with the brilliant source material retread with lifeless faithfulness making this a total wash. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/moana-review-2026)
- **IndieWire**, Wilson Chapman (52/100, inferred): The review deems it a competent but superfluous addition to the Disney live-action remake pantheon, faithful to a fault and deathly afraid to explore unfamiliar waters. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/moana-review-disney-live-action-remake-1235204036/)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★☆☆☆): The critic calls the update superfluous and unwelcome even by Disney remake standards, feeling minutely close to the original with little new spark. They single out the lack of originality and one new song for complaint while noting Catherine Laga’aia sings nicely and has passable chemistry with Johnson. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/ea416766-9c74-4ffc-89d9-7601e33e4f30)
- **Screen Daily** (50/100, inferred): The critic says the 2026 Moana demonstrates how live-action remakes stifle the charm of the originals, with Thomas Kail struggling to summon the sunny spirit and heartfelt tone. They single out the songs as remaining stirring but complain that the leaden approach, subpar choreography, and drab design sap the high-seas adventure of excitement. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/moana-review-lifeless-live-action-remake-fails-to-capture-the-spirit-of-disneys-animated-original/5218430.article)
- **The Guardian** (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the live-action remake competent but pointless and unexciting, a cynical piece of monetisable content that feels superfluous. They single out Dwayne Johnson's autopilot performance and the heavy reliance on CGI for complaint, while noting some rapport with co-star Catherine Laga’aia. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/08/moana-review-live-action-dwayne-johnson-rock-catherine-lagaaia)
- **The i Paper**, Emily Baker (49/100, inferred): The critic says the remake isn’t horrid but is a scene-by-scene, line-by-line copy that only works because the original was excellent, calling it everything wrong with Disney’s cash-grabbing approach. The songs and Laga’aia’s performance are highlights, but the lack of imagination and pointlessness are criticized. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/live-action-moana-everything-wrong-disney-4629406)
- **The New York Times**, Alissa Wilkinson (48/100, inferred): The live-action remake recycles the original plot and jokes without adding anything new, making it feel pointless and subtractive compared to the animated version. The critic singles out the songs for holding up well and praises Catherine Lagaʻaia’s winning performance as Moana, while questioning the studio’s decision to remake rather than create something fresh. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/movies/moana-review.html)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (43/100, inferred): The critic finds this a pointless, airless remake that reconstructs the animated classic using green screen and studio tanks, lacking freshness or adventure. They single out the songs as still bangers but note the staging lacks wit and fluidity compared to the original animation. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/moana-review-2026)
- **Empire**, John Nugent (42/100, inferred): The critic calls it a low point in Disney’s live-action remake run and a pointless, shot-for-shot imitation of the 2016 original that feels flat and confusing. They single out the unassailably brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda songs and Catherine Laga’aia’s bright performance for praise amid the overall lack of authorial voice. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/moana-2026/)
- **Vulture** (41/100, inferred): The critic argues please stop making these, calling it not the worst or ugliest of the live-action Disney remakes but the fastest since the original, laying bare the motivations to squeeze revenue from existing hits without offering a true reinterpretation. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/live-action-moana-review-please-stop-making-these.html)
- **Radio Times**, Emma Simmonds (2/5): The critic calls it a tale of great courage told with creative cowardice, a near-identical but inferior copy that loses magic in translation and feels like a financially motivated facsimile. They single out the fundamentally strong songs and story but complain that the flesh-and-blood version results in a lacklustre retelling with soulless CGI landscapes. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/moana-live-action-review/)
- **The Times** (39/100, inferred): The critic blames Dwayne Johnson for a dismal Disney reboot that is leaden where the original was sprightly. They single out Johnson's age and performance as making the film feel too old and unengaging. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/moana-review-i-blame-dwayne-johnson-for-this-dismal-disney-reboot-pdt35dkr5)
- **Evening Standard**, Hannah Pettit (38/100, inferred): The critic labels it a pointless cashgrab and new low for Disney, a lifeless shot-for-shot remake lacking the original’s vibrancy and charm. Catherine Laga’aia’s powerful song renditions are the only positive noted. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/moana-review-disney-b1289329.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Amy Nicholson (38/100, inferred): The remake is a titanically misguided cash grab that is never enchanting or magical and feels totally lost at sea, with flat visuals and fake muscles. The critic singles out the close-up framing and fuzzy backgrounds for shrinking the epic voyage and praises only the practical banana-peeling shot and a single lovely line from Rena Owen’s grandmother. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-07-09/moana-review-dwayne-johnson-catherine-laga-aia-jemaine-clement-thomas-kail)
- **HeyUGuys**, Karen Krizanovich (4/5): The critic finds the live-action remake fun, pacy and colourful, adhering closely to the 2016 original with more believable locations and lighting that give weight to the hero’s odyssey. Dwayne Johnson and newcomer Catherine Laga’aia make the trip worthwhile, though there is no real chicken sidekick. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/moana-2026-review/)
- **Consequence** (B-): The review calls the film a competent but unremarkable copy of the animated original that struggles to justify its existence, with minimal opportunity for the director to add a unique vision. It singles out Dwayne Johnson's charismatic, full song-and-dance performance in the "You're Welcome" sequence for praise as a burst of fun, while noting complaints about the film's length, some uncanny CGI elements like Maui's muscle suit, and its overall determination to stay too close to the source without meaningful changes. [Read](https://consequence.net/2026/07/moana-live-action-review-dwayne-johnson/)
- **Collider**, Taylor Gates (5/10): The critic finds the live-action remake unnecessary and flat overall, with most elements falling disappointingly short despite some copied strengths from the original. They single out the focus on Polynesian culture and the dynamic between Moana and her grandmother Tala for praise, along with a few fun musical sequences, while complaining about sluggish pacing, overly polished CGI, and a restrained, stiff performance from Dwayne Johnson as Maui. [Read](https://collider.com/moana-2026-live-action-review/)
- **The Playlist**, Marshall Shaffer (D+): The critic calls the remake a craven, cynical, unnecessary cash grab that copies the original without recapturing its heart and soul, resulting in flat, literal visuals and a lack of visual imagination or ingenuity. Catherine Lagaʻaia’s performance stands out as the closest thing to reality amid the corporate nostalgia-baiting. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/moana-review-disney-live-action-remake-dwayne-johnson-catherine-lagaaia-20260708/)
- **Deadline**, Gregory Nussen (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the live-action remake lifeless and redundant, criticizing its artificial visuals, lack of invention, and cynical cash-grab motives as a near shot-for-shot copy of the 2016 original. Catherine Laga’aia’s performance as Moana is singled out as the film’s one source of vitality amid otherwise staid direction and poor effects. [Read](https://deadline.com/2026/07/moana-review-live-action-remake-1236976802/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2/5): The critic finds the remake redundant and unnecessary, a lifeless reenactment of the original that lacks kinetic energy despite capable singing from the new cast. They single out the songs and some casting as relative strengths while criticizing the overall execution and lack of innovation. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/moana-review-remake-most-unwelcome/)
- **/Film**, Witney Seibold (4/10): The critic finds the film an insubstantial, perfunctory, bland, artificial and forgettable rehash that is little more than cynical nostalgia exploitation, with uninspired camerawork, flat dialogue scenes, excessive CGI that blurs into animation, and no new angles or surprises. The singing is fine but the overall experience is blah and unwelcome. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2210335/moana-2026-movie-review/)
- **The Wrap** (40/100, inferred): The critic calls the remake pointless and redundant, arguing there is no reason to watch a faded live-action xerox of a recent, near-flawless animated film beyond Disney’s desire for money. Catherine Laga’aia and Rena Owen’s performances receive praise, while the visuals and lack of changes are criticized as drab and unneeded. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/moana-review-disney-live-action-remake/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ian Sandwell (30/100, inferred): The critic calls the remake the most pointless Disney live-action remake yet, an exact replica of the original with no innovation that feels like cheap re-runs. They praise the songs still hitting the mark and competent execution but complain about the lack of ambition and changes for the worse. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a71835208/moana-2026-review/)
- **Polygon**, Tasha Robinson (30/100, inferred): The critic describes the live-action version as a glossy digital clone of the 2016 animated film that lacks any identity of its own despite parroting the original's themes of self-discovery. They single out the songs' retained power and the specificity of the human background cast celebrating Polynesian culture for praise, while complaining that virtually every line, beat, and song is identical with only minor additions, making the remake superfluous and reductive with no artistic reason to exist. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/moana-review-live-action-2026/)

## Details

- **Director:** Thomas Kail
- **Director:** Thomas Kail
- **Screenplay:** Jared Bush, Dana Ledoux Miller
- **Cinematography:** Óscar Faura
- **Editor:** Melanie Oliver
- **Music:** Mark Mancina
- **Production design:** John Myhre
- **Costume design:** Liz McGregor
- **Producer:** Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn
- **Cast:** Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana; Dwayne Johnson as Maui; Rena Owen as Gramma Tala; John Tui as Chief Tui; Frankie Adams as Sina; Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa (voice); Emma Puahi-Shapazian as Moana (4 years old); Amaya Masoli as Moana (8 years old)
- **Runtime:** 1h 55m
- **Certificate (MiC):** T
- **Release (Italy):** 19 August 2026
- **Genres:** Family, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure
- **Budget:** $250 million
- **Box office:** $308 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEz5xbzYPKI

## Where to watch in Italy

Not streaming, renting or buying in Italy at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, CA, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Moana* (2016), Fi1m 82: The original, still bright, still funny, and the ocean actually moves — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/moana.md)
- *Whale Rider* (2002): A Māori girl, a chief who will not listen, and no computers at all
- *Song of the Sea* (2014), Fi1m 82: Irish hand-drawn sea myth that trusts children with silence and sadness — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/song-of-the-sea.md)
- *Ponyo* (2008): Miyazaki’s ocean is alive in ways this remake can only gesture at
- *The Jungle Book* (2016): The Disney live-action remake that found a reason to exist

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/moana-2026