Moana Early Reviews: Dwayne Johnson's Live-Action Remake Called 'Ugly Copy' Of Disney Animated Film

Moana Early Reviews: Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga'aia star in the live-action remake of Disney's animated feature Moana. The movie is set to release on July 10 and its early reviews are in. While Moana (2016) and its sequel, released in 2024, were commercial and critical hits, it seems like fans of the animated movie have not liked the "shot-by-shot" remake that the live action version is.

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Moana set for a slow start at the box office

Moana live action remake's pre-sales are not up to the mark. As per reports, the projection for its domestic opening weekend is pegged at $45-$60 million. Since the estimated budget of the movie is over $200 million, it is on track to become one of Disney’s biggest box office bombs.

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Early reviews of Moana are not painting a good picture either. The movie debuted on Rotten Tomatoes at a poor 30% score. If the initial pull is lukewarm, then Moana will be a sure shot flop.

Early reviews of Moana call it a "shot-by-shot" remake of animation movie

Netizens mentioned how Moana is a "scene-by-scene copy of the Disney animated film" that released in 2016, with "nothing original" to offer to viewers. As per the posts circulating on X, Moana uses a blend of live action and animation, and thus, doesn't feel much different from Disney's animated features. Moreover, some mentioned that its VFX appear shoddy and don't do justice to the magical world of Moana. The ocean sequences, which are the heart of the Moana movies, also invited criticism in how they have been done for the live action version.

While reviews for the film are largely negative, the performances of Catherine Laga'aia as Moana and Dwanye Johnson as Maui, a legendary demigod, invited praise. Moreover, the soundtrack was revealed as one of the positives of the live action version.