‘Moana’ Joins the Ranks of Walt Disney Animated Movies to Receive a Live-Action Adaptation

A live-action version of Disney’s Moana has been announced and there are many exciting details about the remake of the hit musical fantasy movie. Moana is another of Disney’s animated movies receiving the live-action remake treatment, despite being released in the last ten years. 

The most recent wave of live-action remakes of Disney animated movies began in 2010 with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, but Disney has dabbled in this type of movie-making even before that. The memorable live-action remake of One Hundred and One Dalmatians with Glenn Close in 1996 was a very early example of this.

2016’s Moana has the unique distinction of being the studio’s most recent animated movie to be remade as live-action. Most of Disney’s remakes have been of “classic” Disney movies released in the 20th century. Moana follows the titular princess as she sets off on an oceanic voyage to save her island. Along the way, she meets Maui, a trickster demi-god, and a number of other mythical figures as she attempts to restore the heart of Te Fiti. The musical is scored by Lin Manuel-Miranda and was nominated for two Oscars at the 89th Academy Awards. Though it was only announced in April 2023, there’s already lots of news surrounding Moana‘s live-action remake.

Dwayne Johnson has confirmed the Moana remake is the next movie he’s filming, which is seemingly a sign that the live-action adaptation is on the horizon. Johnson voiced the role of Maui in the hit Disney animated film, and he was one of the earliest names attached to the live-action remake to reprise his role. While the announcement doesn’t solidify much else about the movie, it does offer some insight into the production timeline. In his latest announcement, Johnson also confirmed that Thomas Kail will direct and Lin Manuel Miranda will once again provide the music.

“The Rock” announced via Twitter that Disney is working on a live-action remake of Moana. As the voice of Maui in the animated movie, Johnson is an excellent spokesperson for the remake announcement. In the clip, Johnson teases what’s to come before excitedly revealing that Disney has begun working on the live-action adaptation of the tropical adventure movie. Johnson stands on the island of O’ahu in Hawaii and explains the importance of the state to his childhood and how his Samoan ancestry helped inform his portrayal of Maui in Moana.

Johnson goes on to reveal an interesting factoid about the creation of Moana. Johnson and Disney Animation found inspiration for Maui’s design from Johnson’s late grandfather, the legendary High Chief, and wrestler Peter Maivia. The animated Moana seems to have been something of a passion project for Johnson, and it appears that the live-action version will be a personal touchpoint for the movie star as well.

The Moana live-action remake will likely follow the same story beats as the animated movie. Original writer Jared Bush returned to pen the script and worked with Dana Ledoux Miller to adapt it. In Moana, the headstrong titular character ventures out from her home island to find a solution to the blight that has tarnished the land. Along the way she meets the demi-god Maui and learns important lessons about herself.

With many fantastical elements, Moana’s story takes place primarily on the water, which may prove a challenge for a live-action remake. Fortunately, Disney is no stranger to large special effects-heavy movies, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever proved they have artists capable of producing water effects combined with fantasy imagery that live-action actors can credibly interact with. The whole story could easily be translated into a live-action remake and there should not be many cuts.

Despite producing a slew of live-action remakes already, Disney already has plenty more planned, some of which are further ahead in production than Moana. Peter Pan & Wendy debuted on Disney+ on April 28, 2023, and The Little Mermaid premiered May 26, 2023. Further along in the schedule, there will be the Snow White remake, and a prequel to The Lion King (2019) titled Mufasa: The Lion King.   (source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)