I don’t know about you, but I always experience a cognitive dissonance anytime I enjoy a modern Disney movie—especially a live-action remake. But this doesn’t dispute that the live action Moana is an enjoyable experience. In addition to almost certainly being a vanity project for Dwayne Johnson to play Maui in live action, the movie is, as Scott Mendelson described, best seen as a cinematic equivalent of Moana On Ice with a bigger budget. This won’t make it a must-see for any fan who is vehemently opposed to the existence of the remake. That said, any parent who might have to begrudgingly take their child, or anyone who’s on the fence about it like I was, has nothing to fear, because the Moana remake is a fun time.
Moana avoids possible pitfalls of other Disney remakes, whose scripts had moments that felt like shoehorned distinctions to the narrative. Aladdin in particular was littered with different plot devices and character dynamics (such as changes to the particulars of how Aladdin tricks the Genie into escaping the Cave of Wonders) so that Disney could say “see, we justified this remake with additions to the narrative.” Moana is less interested in these broad plot changes and more interested in situational and aesthetic changes that, in turn, reinforce the narrative and themes.
One such addition relates to the sentience of the ocean. In the original, whenever Moana (Catherine Laga’aia in the remake, Auli’i Cravalho in the original) would communicate with the ocean, it would take on a basic shape, almost looking like a big toe. This watery big toe would serve as a faceless-face, an eyeline without eyes for Moana to gaze at throughout her journey. While the ocean is obviously Moana’s friend, the remake adds this faceless face to moments where the ocean is a threat, such as Moana sailing (and failing) past the reef for the first time, or a flashback showing her father doing the same, leading to the death of his cousin. Adding that simple indicator of both sentience and friendliness in a dangerous context adds a feeling of betrayal, but this ping of heartbreak evolves into faith and understanding that the characters were simply not ready for the adventure they’re still meant to go on.
There are also unique thrills in the ocean sequences. When Moana first starts sailing, the film plays with perspective and scale with great fun. The audience is kept on edge as Moana struggles to sail over a wave, and then, after she finds her grounding, she comes across a bigger wave. This bigger wave is meant to scare the audience into thinking she’ll struggle even more than she did its smaller predecessor, but this fear is subverted as she overcomes the bigger wave almost immediately. She’s finding her place in the ocean.
The weight of other deities, like the volcanic and villainous Teka and Te Fiti, have a fresh presence in this remake as well. They’re given a little more weight, which comes in handy for tense sequences with Teka. The geographic relation between Moana and Maui sailing as they escape this living volcano is packed with rich, almost divine motion because of this greater sense of weight. Te Fiti also has a great moment that’s a testament to this weight and divinity, where she gives life to a barren area by diving into an ocean of herself, eventually spreading like life-giving wildfire.
With this said, the most important element of this remake is the chemistry between Moana and Maui. From the moment they share the frame, Laga’aia and Johnson work wonderfully together. They work well with their contrasting sizes. When Moana passionately demands the demigod help her village, she takes up a physical space that Maui doesn’t. Moana’s confidence is Laga’aia’s. It’s her big screen debut and she holds her own against the physical and screen-based giant built of stone and charisma with grace.
If the poor box office projections turn out to be correct, then this live action remake won’t have the cultural legs of the original, but one can reasonably hope Laga’aia will have a long and prosperous career because of this cinematic equivalent of Disney on Ice. We’re, again, dealing with something that was designed to make a billion dollars, but while you need not go out of your way to see it, don’t feel like you have to go out of your way to avoid it either. If you’re in the mood to go to the movies and love the original, there are infinitely worse ways to spend your time, and this particular way has its own litany of little treasures.
