‘Moana’ First Reactions: An Unnecessary But Faithful Adaptation That Lacks the Magic of the Original

The live action remake of Moana is out this week, here are the first reactions from those who have seen it.

Vishu Lakkamraju July 7, 2026

Moana is the most recent live action remake of a beloved animated film, both in the recency of the original and the fact that the movie is out this week; here are the first reactions for the film.

Moana’s premiere is currently being held in the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles at this very moment. The film’s social media embargo has now lifted and the first reactions are coming in. These are just social media reactions, the review embargo reportedly lifts tomorrow, July 8th.

The original Moana (2016) boasts a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score with a 81 on Metacritic so it’s fair to say the bar is very high. On the other hand, Moana 2 has a lower 61% Rotten Tomatoes score with a 58 on Metacritic.

Moana features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson bringing the animated character he voiced to life as Maui and Catherine Laga’aia playing the titular character, Moana. Auliʻi Cravalho voiced Moana in the animated film. Thomas Kail, best known for directing Hamilton is making his feature debut as a director on this film.

Moana First Reactions

'Moana' First Reactions — Moana / Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Moana’s first reactions are somewhat mixed, there are those who really like it but more people seem to be either in the middle calling it unneccesary or negative calling it straight out bad. Some seem to love the visuals of the film while others call it flat. The consensus seems to be that the film while faithful offers nothing new. Catherine Laga’aia is getting praise for her performance as Moana.

#Moana might be one of Disney’s best live-action remakes yet. The performances are genuinely great and it carries all the heart, fun, and humor of the original. The story beats hit pretty close to the animated film with fresh dialogue and jokes sprinkled in, but it’s hard not to… pic.twitter.com/OmhTqWSd4Z
— Guy At The Movies (@GuyAtTheMovies_) July 8, 2026

Disney’s live-action #Moana is visually stunning. #CatherineLagaaia and #DwayneJohnson’s chemistry is the heart of the film, carrying audiences through the journey, while Lin-Manuel Miranda’s unforgettable soundtrack pulls you back into this reimagining. Despite some performances… pic.twitter.com/MTBDLO3R0P
— Klepcx (@Klepcx) July 8, 2026

Honestly a little surprised to admit how much I enjoyed the live-action Moana. Catherine Laga'aia does a great job continuing the legacy (& has incredible comedic chemistry with Dwayne Johnson). There are some truly stunning shots. Gosh I love this story. #Moana pic.twitter.com/ouaxPgTi87
— Tessa Smith – Mama's Geeky (@MamasGeeky) July 8, 2026

The live-action #Moana is… a movie. It adds nothing the animated original didn’t already achieve. It often looks animated anyway, and Dwayne feels uncomfortable as Maui. Catherine Laga’aia shines as Moana though, but this arrived far too soon after the animated films. pic.twitter.com/w51NKJjOYT
— Peter Gray (@ratedPDG) July 8, 2026

If you’re curious what #Moana would be like slower, darker & less whimsical, boy, have I got a movie for you.

The live-action remake captures some of what made the original so magical with its song scenes, but the rest of it never finds the right tone. Laga'aia innocent. pic.twitter.com/XptkwT9E6p
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) July 8, 2026

MOANA (2026) shows just how far Disney will go for a quick and easy buck, producing another unnecessary, nearly shot-for-shot, beat-for-beat live-action remake that doesn’t offer anything new that wasn’t already done better just ten years ago. The visuals are so flat, with a… pic.twitter.com/wU4Klj2iYn
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) July 8, 2026

Disney's Moana remake is, at best, a cheap imitation and, at worst, weaker in every conceivable way. Two decent performances from Catherine Laga'aia and Dwayne Johnson allow the film to ride on the success of its original, but as with every Disney remake, I ask: what's the point? pic.twitter.com/baTg6xqSLQ
— Cole Groth (@cole_groth) July 8, 2026

MOANA is the same as the animated. Which is what I've always wanted from these. For the most part it is fun! Got me at the same parts & Lin-Manuel Miranda's music is sublime. Catherine Laga'aia is a perfect Moana but the Rock is out shined by her at every point. Not enough Pua. pic.twitter.com/doZXh2p4Jg
— Rachel Leishman (@RachelLeishman) July 8, 2026

Disney’s live-action Moana was just as solid as the original animated film. Fair to say that if you liked one, you’d like the other equally. I still think it’s too soon tho, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun watching this version. The songs still slap.#moana pic.twitter.com/13X8AbrZVS
— Rama's Screen 🔜 SDCC2026 (@RamasScreen) July 8, 2026

The live-action #Moana remake is very much just that, a remake, that adds very little to the story aside from a change in medium. How they managed to make one of the most beautiful locations on Earth ugly, I will never know, but here we are. Catherine is great. pic.twitter.com/zaDeO5AW5Z
— Kaitlyn Booth (@katiesmovies) July 8, 2026

The LA #Moana is unnecessary, but they do enough great things visually in the first and third act to justify its existence (the second act, not so much🤮). As such, it's definitely one of the better Disney LA remakes (not saying much but it's true). pic.twitter.com/o4MzcvW0G0
— The Nerds of Color (@TheNerdsofColor) July 8, 2026

Moana is ok at best. It isn’t a disaster like other Disney adaptations but it isn’t a great adaptation either. It is the most copy and paste Disney remake yet, repeting exact lines and shots from the original, but never reaches the brilliance and excellence of the animated movie. pic.twitter.com/KPQaaM2960
— fabricio (@fabriciogiraob) July 8, 2026

#Moana (2026) is PATHETIC!

A shot-for-shot, line-by-line remake without a single original idea. A creatively bankrupt cash grab with ZERO interesting direction. They don't innovate; they imitate.

Why watch this when Moana (2016) is on Disney+?! A soulless, miserable financial… pic.twitter.com/HmeyrJxe3X
— Jonathan Sim (@TheJonathanSim) July 8, 2026

Moana / Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Thanks for reading this Moana reactions article. For more, stay tuned here at Feature First.

Tagged:Catherine Laga'aia Dwayne Johnson Moana Walt Disney Studios

Vishu Lakkamraju

An aspiring screenwriter based in California obsessed with the inner and outer workings of Film and TV. Vishu serves as an editorial writer for Film, Music and TV.