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Disney’s live-action adaptation of ‘Moana’ brings the beloved ocean adventure back to the big screen as the studio continues expanding its lineup of remade animated classics
Disney’s reliance on its back catalog of characters and franchises will be underlined again next week with the release of a live-action version of Moana, a remake of the Polynesian-themed animation hit that is only a decade old.
The original Moana from 2016 follows a young Polynesian girl who sets off on an adventure across the ocean, accompanied by the demigod Maui, to save her people and their atoll.
A sequel came out in 2024, and a third animated installment is in the works, while the new live-action version starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will hit screens worldwide from Wednesday.
It is a shot-for-shot rehash of the original, with the same songs and similar dialogue, directed by Thomas Kail of Hamilton fame.
“The way that the movie breathes is so different than animation the way that you fill a frame is quite different and I think there’s an opportunity to access emotion in a distinct way,” he told AFP.
With a budget estimated at 200-250 million dollars, the film is banking on spectacular special effects to draw in crowds at a time when animated sequels Toy Story 5 and Minions & Monsters are riding high at the box office.
Remakes and franchises have become a cornerstone of modern Hollywood production, despite criticism that they are a sign of declining creativity and risk-taking by the industry’s big beasts.
Concepts and characters that are already familiar to viewers are seen as bankable profit-makers by under-pressure studios, while offering attractive merchandising, games, and other spin-off possibilities.
Disney’s appetite for live-action remakes of its animated hits was whetted by the huge success of 2010’s Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton, which grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide.
Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Lilo & Stitch have each broken the billion-dollar level at the box office since. Reid said. — Antoine Guy & Agence France Presse
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