It's difficult to think of an example of Disney phoning it in better than its live adaptation of "Moana."
Yes, "Moana" — the beloved 2016 animated film — already has a remake less than ten years after its release, following in the footsteps of remade classics like "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "The Lion King" and "The Little Mermaid" (not to mention last year's disastrous "Snow White").
There's no doubt that Disney's live-action gimmick has largely paid off. Several of them have made over a billion dollars globally including last year's "Lilo & Stitch" remake. But if they expect people to head to the theater and pay to see one of their movies, Disney should justify a film's existence besides being a cash cow.
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This "Moana" is virtually a shot-by-shot, beat-by-beat redo of its predecessor. Moana (played this time by newcomer Catherine Laga'aia) is the daughter of the chief of the Polynesian island of Motunui, and its people are on the verge of starvation as the island has been cursed after the heart of the nature goddess Te Fiti was taken from her by the shapeshifting demigod Maui (reprised by Dwayne Johnson) a thousand years ago. So she must venture into the ocean to find Maui and restore the heart of Te Fiti to save her people.
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What's shocking about this "Moana" was how overtly lazy it was made. It's supposed to be live action yet everything looks fake. All the beach scenes were clearly green-screened (you can tell by the artificial lighting on their faces). The animals don't look remotely realistic. And don't even get me started on The Rock's ridiculous wig.
Not only is it visually duller, it's duller in every other measurement. It's less funny, the characters are stiffer, even the soundtrack, replicating Lin-Manuel Miranda's original music, isn't as captivating.
Compare that to the original "Moana" — vibrant, beautifully animated, a livelier cast of characters and unmatched vocal performance by the OG Moana Auliʻi Cravalho.
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Thomas Kail, whose directing credits include "Grease Live!" and the Disney+ stage recording of "Hamilton," brings zero creative vision in his theatrical debut, going far beyond relying on the source material as a mere blueprint. It's essentially a regurgitation. There's no added element to separate itself from the animated version.
Disney has had a handful of cartoon-turned-live-action successes like 2015's "Cinderella" or 2016's "The Jungle Book." Even the "make classic villains look sympathetic" movies like "Maleficent" and "Cruella" were interesting. This "Moana" has nothing going for it.
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Disney's "Moana" remake is so uninspired that it might as well have been churned out by AI. Your kids or grandkids may enjoy it, but what's the point when you can watch the superior original version at home?
"Moana" is rated PG for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes. In theaters now.
