MOVIE REVIEW

also known as “Hành Trình Của Moana,” “Oceania,” “Odvážná Vaiana,” “Vaiana,” “Vaiana: La Légende du bout du monde,” “Вајана,” “Ваяна,” “Моана,” “モアナと伝説の海,” “海洋奇緣,” “魔海奇緣”

MPA Rating: for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements.

Oh Moana, Moana! You are so full of life, energy and spirit and just exemplify what it means to be the future chief of the Mantanui tribe. That same spirit, though, calls you toward the water. The crops are dying, nothing can grow, and your friends are beginning to lose hope. You do, however, have one really great ally in your life, your grandmother.

Your grandmother tells you a tale of how, in the beginning, the heart of Te Fiti gave light and life to all the various islands. But alas, the demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) stole the heart of Te Fiti to give to the Mantanui tribe. As such, the dark lava monster, Te Ka has spread darkness to every island which explains the desolation of the crops as well as the hope of the Mantanui people.

All is not lost though. Moana’s grandmother tells her that their tribe used to be navigators of the seas, delivering and communicating with all the other islands. She believes that to save the island one needs to wayfind (navigate the seas) and restore the heart of Te Fiti to save their tribes.

Moana wants to help but just doesn’t know how. Just then the sea rises and gives Moana the heart of Te Fiti and assures her the sea will protect her on her journey. So she finds a wayfinder, her trusty chicken, Heihei, and they’re off to find Maui so he can restore the heart of Te Fiti before the islands are destroyed… forever…

The million dollar question that has been on everyone’s mind since they announced a live-action version of “Moana” was “Why in the world are they doing this? Didn’t the first one and the sequel come out just a while ago?” The answer to that first question is one that, frankly, I still scratch my head about. Indeed, the question arises, does every animated feature need to have a live-action version? I used to say flat-out, “No, not everything.” I would even say, “Making a live version of the same film is a cop-out and just lazy writing.” But I have to also argue that there are live-action versions that actually improve upon the original, provide more character depth or more to think about that the original just didn’t have the time to address, such as in the live action adaptation of “How to Train Your Dragon” (2025) or the live-action adaption of “The Jungle Book.”

Having said that, “Moana” (2016) isn’t a film that required a live-action spinoff. It’s only been a decade. Again, one could say there was a nine year gap between “Toy Story 3” and 4 and most didn’t seem to notice or care at the time. The next question becomes, “Does ‘Moana’ (2026) add anything or improve upon the original?” The answer to that is a resounding, “No.” It truly is a shot-for-shot remake of the original and because of this you might hesitate to go and drop 30 or 40 dollars at the movies to watch the exact same movie you saw 10 years ago. Again, one could argue the live action “Moana” is geared toward millennials like myself or even Gen Z children, but rather Gen Alpha (those born between 2010 and 2024).

To the film’s credit, the live action version is still as strong, musically, as the original, with the exception of “How Far I’ll Go”. I simply don’t feel Catherine Laga’ia really delivered emotionally (particularly at the climax of the song) and just sang the song for the sake of singing it. The other songs are on par, quality wise, as they were in the original film.

Additionally, Dwayne Johnson looks like he’s having the time of life on screen. He brings more light-hearted humor to this version as he’s not stuck behind a microphone.

Let’s talk about the content though, for even the most Disney-est Disney film has content to be concerned about.

Objectionable Content

OCCULTIC CONTENT: The people of Montanui believe in gods and other supernatural beings as part of their religion. As such, tribal dances to the gods are seen in a few scenes. The mythological tale of Te Fiti is deeply rooted in Samaon culture. There are discussions regarding reincarnation (and a scene where a character is reincarnated as a manta ray). **MINOR SPOILER** A character’s origin story includes becoming a demi-god after the other gods saved him from being abandoned **END MINOR SPOILER**. The spirits of other wayfinders accompany Moana on the final stretch of her journey. Heihei continues to walk into the ocean but the sea continually saves him.

VIOLENCE: A ship is destroyed in a battle. Moana has a dream about her island being covered in darkness. There’s a joke about a human sacrifice. Two characters fall from the top of a very deep hole. A monster talks about how he ate his grandma. Characters are nearly eaten, with one character being tossed around a cave beforehand. There is a massive fight sequence between Moana, Maui and Tekah (Moana almost drowns in the process). Maui talks about how he ripped off a crab’s legs.

A flashback reveals a moment where the chief’s cousin took a wayfinder during a massive storm and drowned. The family chicken (Heihei) and Moana nearly drown. (Moana becomes tangled in a rope and is pounded by massive waves sending her back to shore. She has a red mark on her ankle as a result.) Another massive storm topples Moana’s wayfinder but she makes it to shore. The younger Moana saves a turtle from being eaten by some birds. A character slips on some water. A character threatens to eat a chicken. Someone hits another character with an oar. Moana is pushed off the wayfinder but is saved by the sea. Someone is hit on the forehead with a shell. Someone threatens another by saying, “I will smite you!”

LANGUAGE: S*cks. Someone says, “You sneaky son of a b—” (Maui finishes the sentence by saying “beach” to cover up the word “b*tch).

SEXUAL CONTENT/DIALOG: A character tells the sea that “fish pee in you and other stuff”. Maui jokingly tells Moana that “if the water gets warmer that means you’re heading in the right direction.” Moana checks the water and realizes she just put her hand in pee-covered water.

NUDITY: The Montanui males and Maui are seen shirtless. Moana wears a midriff throughout the whole movie which exposes her stomach.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Someone mentions that a person seems drunk. Two characters are shot with tranquilizer darts (one actually hits Maui, and he says I got hit in the buttcheek). The chief Mockamora is shot with tranquilizers by accident.

OTHER: Grandma tells Moana she should heed her father but also tells her that its different if it has to do with her destiny (Moana’s father forbids anyone from sailing past the reef). A main character falls ill and passes away. A character is tricked into walking into a cave and is locked in.

Lesson

As with the original Moana, the primary message that comes across the live action Moana is that when you discover who you are you feel complete, you feel you can take on anything.

Our identity as Christians is not founded on whether we are accepted by others. We are beloved children of God and as such He determines our purpose, our worth, our calling. As God gave me the gift of music (and the gift of writing) to glorify His name, He gives others gifts that show others how wonderful and how mighty our God truly is.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit… and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. —1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” —Psalm 138:8 ESV

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” —Proverbs 19:21 ESV

“Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” —2 Timothy 1:9 ESV

Final Thoughts

When Bog Iger returned as CEO of Disney Enterprises for a brief time (he recently stepped down in March), he told shareholders, Imagineers and others around him that Disney had lost focus on many of these live action remakes and that these remakes were underperforming (“Snow White” (2025), “Lightyear”). He also believed these films capitalized on old and timeless classics and introduced them to new audiences.

Notice what he said: these live action remakes had started to underperform. The definition of insanity is to make the same mistake over and over again and expect a different result. Has Disney become tone-deaf to what the audiences want? It’s hard to say. Sure there are some original films coming out later this year and in early 2027 and they show, for the most part, a lot of promise (unfortunately one of them, from the previews, is called Hexed which is about a young girl discovering she has powers and lives in a hidden world for witches and warlocks).

“Moana” (2026) is as beautiful as the original, but in different ways. The actors and actresses are having fun, seem more committed, and the addition of character backstories is a plus. However, creating the SAME EXACT FILM and dressing it up as fully original insults the audience’s intelligence by saying “We’re going to pull the wool over your eyes.”

All in all, if you decide to see this version of “Moana,” I suggest waiting for it to come to streaming. Then again, there is moderate amount of occultic, profane and violent content so parental discretion is definitely advised. Ultimately the choice is yours as to whether you and your family want to sail away on this journey.

• Violence: Moderate
• Occult: Moderate
• Profane language: Mild
• Vulgar/Crude language: Mild
• Nudity: Mild
• Sex: Mild
• Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
• Wokeism: Minor

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.