Live-Action Moana: Is it Too Soon?

On April 4th, 2023, Dwaye “The Rock” Johnson officially announced the release of a live-action Moana movie in the works. In the announcement, he makes it known that the voice actors of the characters Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and Moana (Auli’I Cravalho) will be their characters in the live-action movie. Many other characters, such as Gramma Tala, Temuera and Sina will be making an appearance, but it is unclear if the voice actors will play their roles.

As we know, Disney also came out with a trailer in September of 2022 for the live-action release of The Little Mermaid, coming to theaters in May of 2023. The company faced backlash for the lead character, Ariel, played by Halle Bailey, mainly for reusing a story, but completely reimaging the character. Many said that Disney should have taken the time to create a new story, using Halle Bailey for a more “suitable” role. Others admired the fact that Disney was reimagining Ariel as a black princesses, which many children look up to fondly.

While Moana is the works of being recreated, many people don’t seem to have a huge issue with the idea. Fans appreciate the fact that they aren’t replacing the people who voiced the original with two different actors, as both voice-actors fit the role perfectly. The only problems with the newly-announced idea is the fact that Moana was only released seven years ago. By the time the movie is released, it will be around a decade old. Like the announcement of the live-action The Little Mermaid, people feel like Disney should put their time and creativity into creating new and enjoyable stories.

What do you think? Is it too soon to recreate Disney’s 2016: Moana?