'Moana' live-action remake trailer drops – and fans are tearing it to shreds

Moana live-action remake trailer drops – and fans are tearing it to shreds
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Copyright 
Disney - YouTube screengrab - Canva
Copyright Disney - YouTube screengrab - Canva
Published on
24/03/2026 - 13:23 GMT+1
Disney’s new trailer for the live-action remake of 'Moana' has officially dropped..

And speaking of things dropping, so has the enthusiasm and respect from fans of the animated film...

The new trailer for the live-action Disney movie Moana has dropped, and fans are all saying the same thing..

The latest assembly line live-action remake from the House of Mouse, as part of their persistent and creatively barren quest to milk dry their IPs since 2014’s Maleficient, follows the success of the original animated film Moana (2016) and its 2024 sequel
The latter went on to gross more than $1 billion at the box office
The new Moana is set to arrive on 10 July 2026, and the latest trailer is stirring some strong opinions
Many online are bemoaning that the remake is arriving too soon after the original and less than two years after the sequel's theatrical debut, leading to the criticism that Disney is shamelessly attempting to nostalgia bait audiences
Several have also commented on how this “new” version looks like a shot-for-shot remake that adds precious little to the original.

Check it out:
Seriously, what’s the point (apart from cynical cash grab, of course) and shouldn’t Disney be using its Scrooge McDuckresources for something better?

The new trailer offers a look at newcomer Catherine Laga’aia as the titular character, replacing Auli’i Cravalho who voiced Moana in both animated films
It also gives potential ticket buyers a first look at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who reprises his role as the demigod Maui..

And his look is getting roasted
While judgement shall be reserved until Thomas Kail’s film is seen, it’s already clear that Disney is banking on nostalgia for yesterday evening
Moreover, the studio has yet to understand that in order for magic to be preserved, some things are better left animated.

And let’s face facts: The fact that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hits theatres just one week after Moana will inevitably lead to a sizeable box office drop
Moana hits cinemas on 10 July 2026
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