Fans Slam Disney’s Live-Action ‘Moana’ as “Completely Unnecessary” & “Slop”

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The trailer for Disney’s live-action version of Moana has received a lot of negative feedback online.

The new Moana film will be released on July 10, 2026, and features Catherine Lagaʻaia in the title role. Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as Maui. Thomas Kail directs the movie, with Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller writing the screenplay. Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, and Lin-Manuel Miranda are the producers.

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Johnson first revealed the project in April 2023. Kail joined as director the following May, and Lagaʻaia was cast in the lead role in June 2024. From July to November 2024, filming occurred in both Atlanta and Hawaii.

So, this movie was supposed to start filming back in October of 2023, but the whole SAG-AFTRA strike threw a wrench in those plans. Luckily, we’ve got Óscar Faura handling the cinematography, which is awesome, and Bill Westenhofer is in charge of the visual effects – that’s a great sign! I heard the studio even thought about using a deepfake of Dwayne Johnson for some shots, can you believe that? They quickly scrapped that idea though, probably because of all the potential backlash. Good call, honestly.

Even though the movie had a famous cast and people were excited for it, fans immediately shared their disappointment with the trailer online.

A lot of people wondered why a remake was being made so quickly after the original animated movie came out in 2016. One fan posted, “Wasn’t Moana released recently? Aren’t they already making Moana 3? There’s no need for this!” Others complained that the film relied too much on computer-generated imagery, even though it was advertised as ‘live-action’.

One fan commented that the movie’s visual effects looked like the usual low-quality CGI often found in these remakes, adding that it had the potential to be beautiful but Disney didn’t seem to prioritize that.

Many people praised the original Moana and questioned the need for a remake. One fan commented, “The first Moana was nearly flawless. If they want to continue the series, I’d prefer sequels over unnecessary live-action remakes.” Viewers also criticized the trailer’s special effects, describing them as artificial and resembling AI-generated imagery.

Many viewers expressed disappointment with the remake, with some predicting a cycle of remaking even the remakes. Common complaints included the film being too similar to the original, visually unappealing due to its artificial look, and a waste of money. Several people questioned why Disney wasn’t focusing on creating new stories instead of relying on live-action remakes, feeling it diminished the charm of the original animated films. One commenter also pointed out the unusual mix of live-action and animation.

The strong negative reaction highlights increasing disappointment from viewers regarding Disney’s habit of turning its classic animated films into live-action versions. Although these remakes offer modern effects and popular actors, many fans believe the original stories and animation were already flawless.

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2025-11-19 11:45