Lead
Disney has released the first trailer for its live-action adaptation of Moana, announcing 17‑year‑old Catherine Laga’aia in the title role and Dwayne Johnson reprising Maui. The clip previews a retelling of the 2016 animated film and confirms a wide theatrical launch on July 10, 2026. Casting updates include John Tui as Chief Tui, Frankie Adams as Sina and Rena Owen as Gramma Tala. The studio says the production reunites key creative contributors while adding new voices behind the camera.
Key Takeaways
- The first trailer for the live-action Moana was released by Disney; the film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 10, 2026.
- Catherine Laga’aia, 17, debuts as Moana; Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui, a role he voiced in the 2016 animated original.
- John Tui, Frankie Adams and Rena Owen join the principal cast in family roles associated with Moana’s island community.
- Thomas Kail directs; Jared Bush co-wrote the new script with Dana Ledoux Miller, maintaining a creative throughline from the 2016 film.
- Music credits include Mark Mancina returning to score, with Lin-Manuel Miranda listed among the producing team.
- The live-action was first announced at Disney’s April 2023 shareholder meeting, marking approximately a 10-year span from the animated original’s release to the remake’s debut.
- Producers include Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Beau Flynn, reflecting star involvement at the production level.
Background
Moana first premiered as an animated feature in 2016, directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, and established itself as a major franchise entry for Disney’s modern era of family musicals. The original combined Pacific Island storytelling with songs and a central coming-of-age arc, garnering widespread box-office and cultural attention. Over the intervening years Disney has pursued live-action remakes of several animated hits; Moana’s live-action incarnation continues that strategy while raising new questions about adaptation and cultural representation.
The live-action project was publicly announced at a Disney shareholder meeting in April 2023, setting development into motion and assembling returning and new creative personnel. Jared Bush, who worked on the animated Moana, is credited as a co-screenwriter alongside Dana Ledoux Miller; Thomas Kail, known for stage and screen work, is directing. The campaign emphasizes both continuity—returning composers and writers—and a new cast led by a Samoan-born newcomer, reflecting the studio’s stated focus on authentic casting.
Main Event
The newly released trailer concentrates on Moana’s voyage and the relationship between the islander heroine and the demigod Maui. Visuals in the teaser highlight expansive ocean cinematography and reimagined sequences of island life, while the soundscape nods to the original film’s musical DNA. The footage confirms Catherine Laga’aia as the title character; she appears in scenes that emphasize family ties and the island’s cultural setting.
Alongside Laga’aia and Johnson, casting announcements include John Tui as Chief Tui, Frankie Adams as Moana’s mother Sina and Rena Owen as Gramma Tala, signaling a cast anchored in Pacific Island talent. Production credits shown with the trailer list Thomas Kail as director and Mark Mancina returning to compose, with Lin-Manuel Miranda attached in a producing role rather than the same songwriting capacity he had on the animated film.
Studio marketing highlights the project as both a faithful reinterpretation and a fresh creative effort, pointing to a relatively quick turnaround: the original film will be roughly ten years old by the time the live-action version opens in July 2026. The trailer release coincides with ongoing promotional activity ahead of the summer release window, and Disney has positioned star-producer involvement as a selling point.
Analysis & Implications
Disney’s decision to greenlight a Moana remake within a decade of the original follows a broader pattern of adapting popular animated properties for live-action audiences. That tight timeframe—approximately ten years—makes Moana one of the studio’s fastest reworkings, which could be read as a bid to capitalize on an established fan base while the original remains culturally resonant. Financially, the strategy aims to leverage name recognition and cross-generational interest to drive box-office returns in a competitive summer landscape.
Casting a young Samoan actress in the lead signals a continued effort to foreground authentic representation, an issue that was widely discussed after the first film’s release. Laga’aia’s Samoan heritage and public statements about representing Pacific Island peoples align with the project’s promotional messaging and may help mitigate earlier criticisms about outsider depictions—though scrutiny from cultural observers is likely to persist through release and beyond.
On the creative side, retaining key contributors such as Jared Bush and Mark Mancina suggests an attempt to preserve the tonal and musical identity that audiences associate with Moana. At the same time, bringing in Thomas Kail as director and adding new screenwriting input implies material adjustments intended to fit live-action storytelling demands. Those choices will shape whether the remake is seen as a respectful expansion or an unnecessary rehash by critics and viewers.
Comparison & Data
| Year | Format | Key Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Animated | Directors: John Musker, Ron Clements; Music: Mark Mancina, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi | Original theatrical release and cultural breakout for Disney |
| 2026 | Live-action | Director: Thomas Kail; Lead: Catherine Laga’aia; Maui: Dwayne Johnson | Trailer released ahead of July 10, 2026 theatrical debut; announced Apr 2023 |
The table highlights the continuity of certain creative contributors and the key distinction of a live-action director and lead cast changes. The remake’s timeline—announced in April 2023 and releasing in July 2026—represents a condensed development window compared with many legacy adaptations, which often span longer intervals.
Reactions & Quotes
Public response has so far centered on praise for Laga’aia’s casting and interest in Johnson’s return; early social posts mixed admiration for the visuals with questions about adaptation choices. Industry commentators have noted the commercial logic behind remaking proven IP while underscoring cultural sensitivity as an ongoing consideration.
“I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites,”
Catherine Laga’aia
“The live-action Moana reunites original creative contributors with new collaborators to honor Pacific Island stories,”
Disney (studio announcement)
Unconfirmed
- Full scope of changes to the original film’s songs and lyrics for the live-action version remain unverified pending soundtrack release.
- Detailed box-office projections for the July 10, 2026 release window have not been publicly released and are speculative at this time.
- The extent of on-location cultural consultation and which island communities were formally involved in production decisions has not been exhaustively documented in studio materials.
Bottom Line
The trailer establishes Disney’s live-action Moana as both a faithful nod to the 2016 original and a recalibrated cinematic project anchored by a young Samoan lead and returning star power in Dwayne Johnson. Key creatives—screenwriters, composer and producing team—bridge the two versions, which helps the studio frame the remake as legitimate continuity rather than a wholesale revision.
Audience and critical reception will likely hinge on how effectively the film balances spectacle with sincere cultural representation, and whether the new live-action format enhances or dilutes the original’s emotional core. With a July 10, 2026 release set, further promotional material and early reviews will be the next indicators of whether the project meets artistic and commercial expectations.