Review Roundup: Does Disney's Live-Action MOANA Sink or Swim?

The reviews for Moana have washed ashore. Disney's new live-action version of the animated film doesn't officially hit theaters until Friday, but critics are sharing their thoughts about the movie musical, which is helmed by Hamilton's Thomas Kail and features songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Find out if the movie sinks or swims in our roundup below.

Moana follows the title character, played by Catherine Lagaʻaia, as she answers the Ocean’s call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, reprising his role from the animated films) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people. 

The movie is directed by Tony Award winner Thomas Kail (Hamilton), produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated films. Moana features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi, and Mark Mancina, as well as an original score composed by Mancina.

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Gregory Nussen, Deadline: "The earnestness of this story just doesn’t work as well when everything is done in such blatantly artificial ways and for obvious pursuit of profit. There is nothing here that is any more inventive than when Instagram creators use AI to imagine what Family Guy characters looked like if they were “real.” And it says something really damaging about the movie’s distinct lack of artistry that it is genuinely hard to tell what, if anything here, isn’t AI."

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter: "Floating in like a refreshing Pacific island breeze, Moana comes along a mere 10 years after the animated feature on which it’s based, and while the live-action remake knows better than to tamper with the story’s sturdy bones, this charming new iteration stands confidently on its own."

Owen Gleiberman, Variety: "Moana” never makes live action more captivating than animation. On some level these movies will always be unnecessary. The remake of “Moana” can’t, and shouldn’t, replace the original. But it earns a place alongside it."

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: "A supposedly “live-action” film, it is so deeply embedded in CGI work as to be really another animation. An actual stage musical version would be a different proposition and that might give the musical numbers more of a platform. This feels like a superfluous piece of monetisable content."

Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com: "However unnecessary it may be, director Thomas Kail’s live-action remake of Disney’s 2016 animated “Moana” is very entertaining, with gorgeous visuals, great songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Dwayne Johnson and Jemaine Clement reprising their roles as demigod Maui and giant monster crab Tamatoa."

Wilson Chapman, IndieWire: "The bones of the original “Moana” are strong enough that this remake is perfectly watchable. But it registers as incongruous that this story, all about exploring the unknown, plays things so painfully safe."

William Bibbiani, TheWrap: "Moana” is far from the worst Disney live-action remake, but it’s arguably the most redundant. I’m sure there are people who will enjoy paying extra, again, to watch a recent movie they already liked, again, but longer and not as good, again."

Kristy Puchko, Mashable: "Rather than going somewhere new, Kail and company avoid discovery, opting instead to approximate popular IP. And in that way, it feels like AI. It does not feel like an earnest, human expression, but rather a shallow approximation that might have the general look but misses the soul of the original work."

Hanna Ines Flint, IGN: "After spending nearly two hours back in this mythical South Pacific world, and to answer that earlier question: No, Moana isn't convincing enough to warrant its existence. But this is where we are in this risk-averse film industry, where we will probably be for a long time, and compared to other live-action Disney remakes, it could be a lot worse."

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Photo Credit: Disney

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