Moana (2026)

Why remake a cartoon if every line is going to come out the same? This Moana is the 2016 film sung back almost word for word on real water, and you’ll spend 115 minutes wondering who asked for the karaoke version. Every song, every joke and every stop on the voyage arrives exactly where you remember it, only with less color and less bounce. A shape-shifting demigod and a giant coconut crab were made for animation, and in live action the magic mostly looks stiff. Catherine Laga’aia makes her film debut as Moana and gets nothing new to play. The heart of the story still works, a girl leading her island back to the voyaging past it forgot, because that story was always strong. It’s just strong somewhere else already. It cost a reported $250M, and critics landed at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences still gave it an A minus CinemaScore. A 3.4 because the original is right there, one click away. $595.42 says you’re streaming the animated one by the weekend and singing louder than you’d ever admit.

What works: The story of a girl reviving her island’s voyaging tradition is still strong, and the songs are still the songs.

What doesn’t: It copies the animated film almost beat for beat, so it adds nothing, and the live-action magic looks stiff next to the original.

Who it’s for: Families who have worn out the animated version and are curious to see it with real waves.