Four months after teasing fans with a one-minute teaser, Walt Disney Studios released the first official trailer to the live-action adaptation of Moana. And not too many fans are elated.
The two-minute, twenty-second clip, unveiled across social media on March 23, 2026, features Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as the demigod Maui, alongside Catherine Lagaʻaia as the Motunui heroine Moana. Both actors step into live-action versions of the characters they originally voiced in the 2016 animated hit Moana.
Despite racking up millions of views within its first 24 hours, the trailer has drawn a mixed-to-negative response. A recurring sentiment among fans is that the remake feels premature, arriving less than a decade after the original film and shortly after its sequel. Others have taken issue with Disney’s use of the term “live-action,” arguing that the heavy reliance on CGI blurs the distinction between remake and animation.
Some critics have already labeled the project a potential early box office disappointment, drawing comparisons to Disney’s recent remake of Snow White. That film underperformed commercially and was met with lukewarm audience reception, with criticism aimed at its creative direction, visual style, and perceived lack of originality — factors many now fear could similarly affect Moana.
At a time when original films such as Sinners, Oppenheimer and more recently, Project Hail Mary are making waves at the box office, the backlash with Moana is proof of broader frustration within the industry of Disney’s habit of throwing innovation to the wind in favor of recycling intellectual property.