I Watched Moana 2026 So You Don't Have To!

When Dwayne Johnson announced that Disney was working on a live-action "reimagining" of Moana, a lot less was left to the imagination than implied. Following Disney's decade-long remake trend, Moana is the latest victim in a series of soulless cash grabs that add absolutely nothing new to the story, visuals, or even performers, at least when it comes to Maui. Most of the past Disney remakes have at least tried to add something new to the animated classics by introducing new songs or costumes, but Moana is a literal carbon copy of the 2016 animation, right down to the animated assets for the ocean, animal sidekicks, and goddesses, which have only been slightly enhanced to fit with the new setting.

When I talk about anticipated upcoming princess media, I am referring to new stories about princesses, not the same ones we've already seen. This movie is neither anticipated nor new. Barely two years have passed since Disney gave us a brand new story about Moana that introduced new characters and a new adventure. The ending was left open for another sequel, which would have been far more welcome than the live-action remake that looks more like an SNL parody than a movie. There is absolutely nothing new or original about Moana 2026, and Disney is embarrassing itself by putting it in theaters.

You know it's a problem when even the jokes are recycled. Live stage shows at the Disney parks and cruise ships keep the story fresh by adding in pop culture references that change from show to show based on recent events. Moana reuses the same tired old songs, the same tired old jokes, the same tired old costumes, and the same tired old animation, making it feel like something that could have come out ten years ago. Oh, wait. It did. Everything from the opening shot to the closing credits is nearly identical to the 2016 masterpiece, which has now been cheapened by this imposter.

One might argue that Disney can't win if the Snow White remake bombed for being too different, and the Moana remake is about to bomb for being too similar, but there is actually a very simple solution to all of this: Tell new stories! They tried to do that with Raya and the Last Dragon. Unfortunately, that movie didn't have the best timing and never quite got the reception they were hoping for. However, that doesn't mean they need to give up. Moana 2 was a solid film, and there's no reason they can't take the next batch of planned episodes to create another sequel.

Moana should have never been remade. Even a new interpretation of a classic fairy tale would have been more welcome because stories get reimagined in new and creative ways all the time. This film was an original story inspired by Polynesian history and culture, and it stands alone as a 2016 classic. The 2026 version will always live in infamy as a dark shadow on the legacy Moana created ten years ago.