# Critics slam Disney’s ‘pointless’ live-action remake of ‘Moana’

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-07-09 18:07 UTC · Category: Entertainment

## Executive Summary
Critical reception to Disney's 2026 live-action remake of 'Moana' has proven largely negative, with reviewers citing a lack of necessity for the adaptation.

## Intelligence Brief
The live-action remake of 'Moana' has faced widespread criticism following its recent release. Reviews have described the film as a low point for Disney, with several outlets characterizing the adaptation as misguided, pointlessly repetitive, and lacking the spirit of the original animated production.


Coverage from outlets including the BBC, Empire, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and Fox News highlights a consensus among critics that the project is unsuccessful. While most reports focus on the negative reception, The Seattle Times presented a contrasting view, describing the film as a project that does the original version proud.


Attention is now turning to the potential impact of these reviews on the future of Disney's live-action remake strategy. Additionally, coverage mentions speculation regarding whether this reception will affect the award prospects of Lin-Manuel Miranda and the professional impact on Dwayne Johnson.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| Yahoo | Why Did Disney Create A Live-Action Moana Just 10 Years After The Original, Anyway? | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimAFBVV95cUxOTFF6SlF4bXk5NWdoUUFMdEdRb0tKbENpV3hUWDNKY3F0RjlLTVgtdkFLZ3J1aU0zbVgxbFhqOEVULXFLRFFENjdVdTNRU0EtS0hWd19jYUpwMFJZaEw5dFNMUEtuWWR0QXZRcUxEcFRTZGpnVnk3TkJuWUktSnJrcE9CN0NhTnUtVEFpSHlRMnBNMUFDMG1pMw?oc=5) |
| Forbes | The Disney Movie That Should Have Been Made With AI | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqAFBVV95cUxNN2dBeXo0RFdJT0s5V2J2UXVmcF9oTUZTX2VOSnU3U3ZKMnB3N3E4YlBVeTlDdjVsY1Nkd08wN3VUdFdocjY3b3JHZ0k3N244YWt0TkNZWE5nU3hUOEhDLURidFhMcGkwTmJmMkw4bTFWVks0dHE0T0NvUVVGcnZuNUhtMlpWSkg5QmJZRTExbUZqWFkzUzB6M2JKSHF4TDVlbkxJdzRXdFg?oc=5) |
| Pioneer Press | Movie review: ‘Moana’ follows too soon in wake of animated predecessor | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqgFBVV95cUxPVUxOZ2VJc0hrUnNoUVUzUGpHMng3V0VQR1pQZi1Qb0dfX2FvU3B5YWpKV05wbGxpcGlDZENoUm5LaUJmemdhVlc1NW51WkVLOTcwRmF3d2M2Unp2UWRISjNkTThsSG1qVlY0b0FmTWVuaDFGR19ROVFkVy1NZ2NRaHVSRDZVZm9UWXZ3MTF2dW1WTVpGNTRFMzBQd2JiSDhhcEVVX3JFeWRYQQ?oc=5) |
| The Hollywood Reporter | ‘Moana’ Makes Box Office Launch With $4.5M in Previews | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipwFBVV95cUxPanJ2NVptaVNRaDlpdDBUNk1GUENGeHE3TEc5eDVvTDdVdVRXSEtMbXN2LVdUZkc1RzJKUXhJR3ZIeGNuTnBncmhyOFdacTNsTmtzM1JxS2FHd3ptaUQyNU1wakppNWdqVUxPQUw2aGlab25aSGltaFZ4NjNZRjVNcEo3NjFwM3lUcUc2N1dZSmFWT0xfT0lQOXhOS3otY0hRMzl1NktVNA?oc=5) |
| Deadline | ‘Moana’ Sets Sail With $4.5M In Thursday Previews – Box Office | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaEFVX3lxTE9Wd0ktN2phVDUzY3JqUGZCclZfRmRhNDFGRWY4d1otXzM4eEhtakw3VTFqemczZVpENDBmcjc5eHpHUDdJUGdIYXhZeEk1UV92UUFZNm8yNTNiZzZUbURnRmwxcmFKRjU3?oc=5) |
| Good Housekeeping | 'Moana' Live-Action Cast: All the Actors Playing the Disney Characters | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikwFBVV95cUxQQ1U5UF9vY2dKTHFvUUZOajdENVZqVVNZQ0tJOTRma0d4cXlQNHZDMmJTZVFDSkJ5NUVmQmdJcDZQVmoxZXdwN0ZhTTJud3JWVzY1eDZXZE42cy1Ra2IxSmJkN0dodGtWUVUxRnd3N0RzaVVleXVRbllJLXZtMkwtaHBKT2ItNGNGNFFMcnh3UGdaYTA?oc=5) |
| The Times | Moana review — I blame Dwayne Johnson for this dismal Disney reboot | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMivgFBVV95cUxQNWxMVGprbTZjOWhXdk1CeU1ZNEk2OHVBOElEMGxCYnZMbkxqVWQ5VzNZN2w5RVNRODIwem1GLUwtalRYMHNDM0hhanhEOG1rWWx2MHlBRW1BRmg0NXdRRjRsTVVEbDc3MHlkYmg3RGJBa0NWRWpobHljU1FDdXZGOXFDQml5Rjdhdjlnb0JSSF9xTUhZTm02NEgzRmUwVW5wXy1FM2hRR3oxeWlwNnloRUlaTUJfWHFaOWZFbU5R?oc=5) |
| empireonline.com | Moana (2026) review: 'A low point in Disney's relentless live-action remake run' | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZkFVX3lxTE1WNWl6TU9yemZidkx5LURIVjVjNWQxQkNzNHQ1V1VKc3Rqb0V5Q21aT3ZoSFBWZmdKaGF3SXBsbVFyT05oRUNuSUtUNTBob1A3SEhQenZZeG55dUNkRW9OM3NuUmRwUQ?oc=5) |
| BBC | Disney's 'dismal' live-action Moana panned by critics | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiWkFVX3lxTE8yZzRwS0RoVzhNcG9JTHZqdUYxbHk3cHk1RXZiNDFSSmN2M29iYWRaQTgwc3hITHJHZWRlWkxPYzdPYVlEQkZUdWMwaHFHXzctX1czdndkRWI2UQ?oc=5) |
| Yahoo | Disney's Live-Action "Moana" Is Here And Critics Have (Brutal )Thoughts | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiogFBVV95cUxPOU9sNVloaVBGalpXdnM5RzI4Y21LU3pPRlY5NG9FWG9tQ3JwSzdMQjVJRktmLWFHRVNmSGFBbEgzemR3WFNPSXRBdGhSdXRVUUZSZXJFM1ZQSjhDNWp1c3FHRVVTQUNnR0F0cnU5dE94VlFOdnRCYWhmVjFLaFp1WkFKcDdURlV5STI4ck5VdjdyQ0djUGhPVnZ6U291SlRIYnc?oc=5) |
| Yahoo | Euronews Culture's Film of the Week: 'Moana' - A pointless waste of time and money | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiogFBVV95cUxPeTVOdl9SRXVXbE5NR212VU9ucVNqZENJbGFlNWFrRUJ5M2ppQjg3akNHaFdWOGtldzZ0aWJuZGRWeTZDM1l5QV9kNnVoclNBU0R5Nm5paGMtbTc0T294eWR6WU9DUlNyY1BtM2g5NFozSTd0M1NQbTdwcXEydm1LSlpFWnBtZWFKaDBWdVI1SHBucWxWSHVmNjV4TTZfc240ZXc?oc=5) |
| TheDailyNewsOnline.com | Review: 'Moana' follows too soon in wake of animated predecessor | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi7gFBVV95cUxQQ0JTX3lRMzFJVzVYN3JjT1B3cWJXS1ZSYW8wUEV5aFR6a0ljWFpIMEdYRWRkb1ExMmVwMmJSQWVYQzJSUFhwQ2xQdWItOXdLYVJKVXBuRUd6QkZpOXI4MW1fZ0J6NDFYYmhvLUtWQktoNzJ5bExjMGVMR2FWYXR1b3NwODNtV29lX0NaUVIyN1VHTDRHUGZWaVB5VG9CbG1WZTRuTjFPT3RqS1Nldl9IVVdNSlQzMXVtSkp4ZVNwQ0lXeDNxZVJoMWFpUWZkN21MdmFNU3NsN0EtY3FLVVIza3NPdGtKblVyVzRhbDh3?oc=5) |
| The Independent | Dwayne Johnson receives career-worst reviews for Moana remake | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitgFBVV95cUxNeHN4dWxqUDhkc2J3cDEzVlZ6cm4ydXpDYlpsTGdnZTNYN1hJRXUwbW1oUWp2RnVQSk5kMkpUMmxYSS1zNHBYUGEybWVPN1FqUm5qN1FXbXZHalE0emFwLWVyQzBoelJ5WGZHZWhfU2Z6N0pPOGZmeFNhOXB6bVdzNjZESkhzdGNseXkxankyMlhqSXpWZzQtWlNyS1ZCWGhnbGk0a1JRbzRuOThwZEpObWRCbkhrZw?oc=5) |
| Los Angeles Times | Review: The titanically misguided live-action remake of 'Moana' is missing the heart in its ocean | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi2AFBVV95cUxNVkg2OGQ2MWNKRkl6YnZIbUZhS3NBclVVOVpyVnRmZWl3UzFIT25SY3ZsQWJOLUdxQi1OOEFJSmltd2x5a3pfNjZidlVhV3Jtc2Z2VGN1MkhuVVI0ZExMaWJPN25CaWVQM2N4alZlR1dPWDBrVWpsTER3MF9Nb3pGbHlwNXhUdHRuUEVGbDNwNmQxaFFpU3dYVk1EN21Xd1VXazdlNFhMbktHWTBkMDdNMG9CYUNvLVg2NTNlNFdIeXRLY0tRMm1BcEJrTW4yTTZOZjdDOW1hZVM?oc=5) |
| Yahoo | Will critical drubbing of ‘Moana’ sink Lin-Manuel Miranda’s latest shot at EGOT? | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMioAFBVV95cUxPVjlRd0tXaDF1eGN6NkozZmFDVG16bUh0LTJsanRFbXo2Z0lSNDNHUjJYYWVwUlZwaDJoVVg1T2doQWpjZlpBaV8tSldFdzN2TVRoVHhoZmJKNnE2bjd0cWJsSDhDc253WkJSLVBIZ0s2YXJVSElIWUpHYTFBZk5HNjlxbTduME80OXdUR3R5dV9fenRTZUtsNDBTWXRSZWFx?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-07-09/critics-slam-disney-s-pointless-live-action-remake-of-moana*