Disney's live-action Moana keeps the beloved story and music mostly intact, but this remake struggles to justify its existence beyond familiar family entertainment.
It's been a decade since Disney introduced audiences to the Chief's daughter in the animated feature, Moana. Now Disney has once again taken a successful film and has given it the "live action" treatment with the same exact movie, and in one case, the same actor even. I'm not sure why Disney decided to make a live-action version of Moana considering their previous attempts with the genre haven't been all that successful. Regardless, they once again took a five-star-rated new classic and turned it into something middling at best. Live-action Moana has some good points but also some that aren't very good at all.
For those who are unfamiliar with the story, here is the synopsis: An adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (newcomer Catherine Laga'aia) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson; Jungle Cruise), who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds. Along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she always sought: her own identity.
Here is what live-action Moana gets right. First and foremost, they kept the original story largely intact. Moana had a tale to tell that included Polynesian folklore, a young woman on the road to discovering who and what she wanted to be, and the bonus of Island culture. Second, they only added one or two new songs, keeping the original soundtrack largely untouched. Third, all the same characters are back, including the hysterical Hei Hei and the adorable if mischievous "coconut" people. Finally, they found an actress who could match the vocal talent of the person who voiced the animated Moana, Auli'i Cravalho (Mean Girls).
Here is what the latest Disney feature film got wrong. First, I'm not sure you can really call a movie "live action" when at least 40% of it was created through CGI. Second, while some of the CGI was very good, some of it was not. It was obvious some moments were CGI, and those moments weren't well done enough to even make it seem as if the filmmakers were trying to make it believable. Third, Johnson didn't look nearly as good in live-action form with an obvious wig as animated Maui looked with his more rounded facial features. And I don't even want to talk about the veins popping out of his much-too-large arms. They were distracting and visually off-putting.
This is Disney's 20th live-action remake of an animated feature and, while it isn't a horrible entry, it is far from the best they have done. Thomas Kail (Hamilton) takes over the directing reins from Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid) and does an admirable job. Living up to the Academy Award-winning animation director is not an easy task, but Kail doesn't make any glaring mistakes, which speaks to his talent level.
I think the worst thing one can ask about this live-action version of Moana is why? This remake seems like nothing more than a "cash grab" and completely unnecessary. Once again, it is also difficult to call this movie live action when so much of it was created with special effects. Let's face it though, the odds were stacked against the movie from the get-go since the animated version from ten years ago was so well done and beloved. This movie would have to blow audiences away to make it better than its predecessor and it was up against incredible odds.
This month's Moana isn't terrible but it isn't great either. However, kids will still enjoy it and there are plenty of funny moments to keep adults entertained.
Grade: B
