Overview
- The live-action Moana premiered at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday and opened to broadly negative early reviews that complain the film reproduces the 2016 original almost scene for scene.
- Critics singled out the heavy use of CGI and green-screen work for creating a flat, artificial look that they say drains the animated original’s whimsy.
- Newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia earned widespread praise for her performance as Moana while Dwayne Johnson’s live-action presentation, especially his long wig, drew social-media mockery and critical comment with Johnson saying he found the reaction funny.
- Box-office forecasts have softened to roughly $60–75 million for the domestic opening weekend against reported production costs near $200–250 million, and the film will play an exclusive theatrical window before PVOD and Disney+ availability months later.
- Industry observers say the film highlights Disney’s rapid-remake strategy of turning recent animated hits into high-cost live-action films and that the company will likely rely on international markets to determine the final financial outcome.