A Live Action Moana Is Coming – Proving The Remake Machine Shows No Signs Of Stopping

Disney is making yet another live-action remake – Moana. It seems like when it comes to making prequels, sequels and live action remakes, they do not know when to quit.

For the past ten years or so, the main output from Disney has simply been reworkings of their original productions. While this may seem like a desperate attempt to retain their audiences, it seems that creating these types of projects are really paying off.

From the live action Lilo and Stitch to Moana 2, you may wonder who even watches these movies – well as it turns out, a lot of people do.

In 2023 it was announced that the 2016 animated film Moana would be the next Disney original feature condemned to a live-action remake. On the 17th of November, the first teaser trailer was released alongside the first poster – sparking a lot of online chat.

 

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We can at least show the live action Snow White and Cinderella some mercy, given that they are adaptations of films from the early 20th century – but in this case, the original Moana film is only 9 years old, not to mention that its animated sequel was only released last year.

So what’s going on with this overload in Moana content?

The original Moana film grossed $687.2 million in the global box office and was the most-streamed film in the US over a five-year period from 2020 to 2024, being watched for a total of more than 1 billion hours. Described by the Wall Street Journal as “the no.1 movie in streaming history”,  this smash-hit film being fleeced for content is truly no surprise.

The follow-up to Moana was originally developed as a mini-series for Disney+, but was later reworked into a theatrical sequel – which we can assume was done in response to the box office success of last year’s Inside Out 2. Moana 2 grossed a whopping $1.059 billion worldwide, but in terms of cultural relevance it really left behind no mark.

@metroentertainment The original grossed $273 million 👆🏼 After just 4 days, the live-action @disneystudios ‘LILO & STITCH’ movie has already outgrossed the original 2002 animated film. The live-action remake has been met with 68% score from critics and a 93% score from users on Rotten Tomatoes. Have you seen ‘LILO & STITCH’ yet? 🎬 📲 Follow us for popular entertainment content and more #liloandstitch #liveaction #disney #filmtok #movies #cinema #disneyplus #disneystudios ♬ Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride – Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu & Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus

But of course, the only thing Disney executives will see is this extortionate box office number. Given that the most recent live-action remake, Lilo & Stitch surprisingly passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office, we shouldn’t expect these live-action adaptations and remakes to leave our cinema screens any time soon.

But back to the live-action Moana, the teaser trailer which was released last week was… really nothing special. From what we can see in this first look, this remake will essentially be a shot-for-shot live action version of a film that we already got – just nine years ago.

 

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While for many, this remake seems beyond pointless and completely unwarranted, we’re sure the box-office numbers will say otherwise… Disney continues to play it safe by giving audiences something that they already know and love.

With Zootopia 2 set to release next week, it’s already projected to follow in Moana 2’s footsteps in becoming a billion dollar hit. So, can we really blame Disney for putting these pre-existing films to further use?

Moana (the live action film) is set to release in cinemas in July 2026. Will you be watching?

Words by Leah Foran