This film is an American musical movie that depicts the adventures of Moana in live action format. It complements the movie of the same name that was an animated version of the adventures of Moana that was released in 2016.
MOANA Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Catherine Laga’aia, John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen. Directed by Thomas Kail. Rated PG (Mild threat). 115 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
In the movie, Catherine Laga’aia makes her “live” debut as the main character. The film was photographed in Atlanta and Hawai in 2024. The plot takes Moana from her Island, Motanui, and she travels with the Demigod, Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to rescue the wellbeing of her beloved community, whose future is threatened.
In the movie, Thomas Kai makes his directorial debut, following his involvement in the highly successful 2020 film, “Hamilton”. The release date for this movie coincides with the 10th. Anniversary release date of “Hamilton” (2025).
This live action adaptation preserves the look and impact of the original 2016 movie, and Dwayne Johnson makes for an impressive Demigod. As Moana, Catherine Laga’aia takes the lead role in the film very convincingly. Overall, this is an entertaining, adventure film that does solid justice to the original animated version. Laga’aia acts her role in a high-spirited, engaged way which fits the film’s plot-line very well. The film uses animation of a high standard and fuses it well with live performances.
The litmus test to understanding viewer reaction to this film version depends on viewer- responsiveness to the same plot-line as an existing movie being covered in a different way, a second time around. This action version has a degree of impact that anticipates a positive response to such a question. The film itself is a slightly longer version of the 2016 original film and it complements the 2016 film in high action style throughout. The action format doesn’t interfere with what viewers may have taken away from the original animated version, and the fusion between live actors, and animated figures is seamless. One doesn’t need to recognise at all that this is a movie which attempts to do what has already been done with animation, and it stands apart from the 2016 version to deliver MOANA differently, in an entertaining and smart way.
Reviewed by Peter Sheehan, an Associate of Jesuit Media