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Disney’s Live-Action Moana Trailer Draws Online Blowback Over Maui Design

The July 10 release hews closely to the 2016 film.

Overview

  • The trailer, released Monday, gives the first full look at Dwayne Johnson’s Maui and confirms a July 10 theatrical date.
  • Early reaction turned harsh, with many viewers calling the remake a near shot-for-shot repeat and mocking Johnson’s long wig.
  • On YouTube, third-party tallies showed roughly 149,000 dislikes to 53,000 likes soon after the drop, outpacing the teaser’s negative ratio from November 2025.
  • Johnson and director Thomas Kail said the look relies on a muscle prosthetic and a heavy curly wig that gains weight when wet, and Johnson said suiting up took about two and a half hours.
  • Disney highlights Pacific Islander stewardship, casting newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana and naming original voice star Auliʻi Cravalho as an executive producer.