MOANA

Moana is void of the spirit of the animated film in almost every moment, dried out by visual effects work that cannot conjure up the magic of the ocean and a hollow adaptation that offers absolutely nothing new to the story, sadly wasting the great big screen debut of Catherine Laga'aia who wholeheartedly embodies the courage, determination and spirit of the titular heroine.

Live action remakes of beloved animated films have become a standard practice for Hollywood in the past decade. Largely, the animated films that are being transformed into live action films are older films where the audience that grew up watching the original animated film are now full fledged adults, giving these live action remakes a sense of nostalgia for older viewers while enchanting a new generation of movie goers with their timeless stories. This has led to great box office success and fan love for Walt Disney Studios for some of their most beloved animated films like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch and Aladdin. Their latest film to get this treatment is 2016’s Moana, marking the youngest film in the Disney library to be reimagined in live action as the original animated film does not turn ten years old until this November. While it stays incredibly true to the animated film’s story, it is to its own detriment as Disney’s live action Moana is a soulless imitation of the beloved animated film drowned by visual effects that are not able to recreate the ocean and a lazy performance by Dwayne Johnson that pales in comparison to his voice work in the original, squandering the talented feature film debut of Catherine Laga'aia who is the saving grace of this otherwise pointless live action remake.

Even though Auli’i Cravalho only voiced Moana in the animated film, her outstanding performance and phenomenal singing voice have left incredibly large shoes to fill for any actress taking over the role of Moana from her. Luckily though, Catherine Laga'aia is more than up for the task. From the second she arrives on screen, Laga'aia radiates strength and determination with an unwavering courageousness that embodies the spirit of Moana in every frame of the film, bringing a much needed energy to the film that the rest of the production is greatly lacking in. In the singing department, Laga'aia falls greatly short of the standard set by Cravalho, without the power in her singing voice and aided by heavy amount of autotune that dampens the power of the show stopping musical number of the film “How Far I’ll Go”, but regardless it's still a promising feature film debut from Laga'aia that promises a bright future for her as an actress.

There is no question that Laga’aia towers above the rest of the cast, whose performances range in quality. John Tui and Frankie Adams are good as Moana’s parents, though unfortunately neither of them have any notable amount of screentime or presence in the film to make a lasting mark on it. Rena Owen captures the quirkiness of Moana’s grandmother and helps to create one of the most important relationships for Moana, adding a necessary amount of heart to the film to launch Moana’s arc. Jemaine Clement returns from the animated film as Tamatoa, never missing a beat and recaptures every ounce of energy he brought to the animated film. And then there is Johnson, returning to one of his most beloved roles. While his energetic voice performance made for a powerful pairing alongside Cravalho in the animated film, his presence in this live action remake has the opposite effect. Relying too heavily on his smoulder, for the most part Johnson sleepwalks through the film as he recycles his line delivery from the animated film without the gusto and charm he had there. Aside from his great work in the “You’re Welcome” musical number, it's a frustrating performance from Johnson that showcases none of his talent as an actor… making for a far fall from his career best work just last year in The Smashing Machine.

For better or worse, the live action Moana is the story that audiences love and know, but without any reinvention or creative spark to separate it from its animated counterpart. Ninety-nine percent shot for shot and line for line the animated film, there is little room for this live action remake to expand the story or deepen the character arcs, and the extra ten minutes of runtime add nothing to the film and ruins its pacing. Any moment that differs from the original film is a mere variation of the corresponding moment in the animated film, offering a slightly different joke or visual perspective that will only be noticed by those who have recently watched the animated film. With the animated Moana not even being ten years old, its story already reflective of modern views on female characters and features a longer run time than some of Disney’s animated classics, leaving no opportunity for update the character of Moana for modern audiences (as seen with the remakes of Snow White and Beauty and the Beast) or expanding the story beyond a simple fairytale premise (like in Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella). Not even the film’s new original song adds anything of note to the experience, as it plays over the closing credits and serves no purpose in the film’s story. Apart from Disney hoping to cash in on the popularity of the Moana brand, this live action remake has zero justification for existing and bears no distinguishing features from the animated version you can stream from the comfort of your own home.

Shooting on the ocean is no easy task, just ask Steven Spielberg and the behind the scenes drama of Jaws, so instead Moana opts for visuals effects to recreate the open ocean that Moana and Maui have to voyage across. With the ocean being a critical third character to the story, taking on various different forms to aid Moana in her quest to restore the heart of Te Fiti, the audience needs to believe the ocean is alive. Sadly, the CGI does not fill that requirement, rendering it a lifeless blob for the most part without the distinction that brought its magic to life in the animated film, with many of the shots of the film feeling fake due to its over reliance on CGI and blue screen. Thomas Kail’s visual direction for the film does not help, focusing on either incredible close ups of the actors and missing the environment of the film or is positioned so far away that the characters and action feel so far removed from the audience like you are watching the entire film and squinting from the back row of the highest balcony of a Broadway theatre. Unfortunately, the entire production feels visually hollow and lifeless, missing the vibrancy of the animated film and the natural beauty of the Hawaii where parts of this film were shot, confirming the fact that not all animated films are right for a live action remake.

As much as this live action remake does not work, there are moments where that Disney magic tries to break through. Hei-Hei never fails to elicit laughter, even if every moment is lifted directly from the animated film. Lin Manuel-Miranda’s songs from the original still feel as fresh and exciting as they did in the animated film, with “You’re Welcome” and “Shiny” being the two standout moments of the film, even if the singing calibre of the live action cast pales in comparison to the top tier singing of the animated film. Every moment that generates laughter is almost directly copy and pasted from the animated film, recycling the same jokes that worked wonders in the animated, with nearly every new joke meant to replace the one from the animated film falling to connect with audiences.

For a studio that is known to be a leading voice in entertainment, it’s truly disappointing that their live action remake of one of their best films of the century so far fails to entertain in the slightest. Aside from the great Pacific Islander representation on the big screen with the film’s casting and the great feature film debut of Catherine Laga'aia, Disney’s live action remake of Moana has no redeeming qualities and fails fans of the animated original with a production that never comes close to recapturing the magic that made audiences fall in love with Moana and Maui almost ten years ago. While Lin Manuel-Miranda’s songs from the animated original have not lost their infectious spark even with a less talented singing cast and Catherine Laga'aia effortlessly embodies the spirit of Moana in every scene, Thomas Kail’s live action remake of Moana feels emotionally hollow and is squandered by visual effects that cannot capture the magical spirit of the ocean and the lacklustre return of Dwayne Johnson of Maui, causing this Disney live action remake to sink as one of their most disappointing live action remakes to date.