So I finally got to watch one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. Moana hit the theaters on the 26th of July. Honestly it was one of the movies I was really looking forward to watching as far back as 2025 when the movie was initially introduced and the trailer was out. Disney came through yet again with another movie version of a cartoon.
Moana tells the story of a brave strong willed teenager who was chosen by the ocean to restore a mystical relic to a goddess named Te Feti. The relic was stolen by Maui, a shapeshifter and a Demigod of the wind and sea. With the relic stolen, this birthed a darkness named Te Kar, which gradually began to affect the whole island which once upon a time flourished. Moana sets out on an adventure to restore this stolen relic and once more bring balance to her Island.
But she can’t accomplish this mission on her own. She first needs to find Maui because the relic was last in his possession. She finally runs into him and realizes that the mission was not really as easy as she thought because there’s a lot about Maui she needs to cope with such as his egomaniacal attitude, him nonchalant about the condition of the island, and not willing to cooperate or work with her. But despite the obstacles, she refuses to back down from her quest.
This was one of Disney’s live-action reimagining that performed quite wonderfully. But for me I feel like there are some cases where the movie can never just be like the cartoon because cartoon has its own elements which may not just sit perfectly when tried to recreate it in a movie. Perhaps that’s why in the creation of the Tom and Jerry movie they made the two characters and other animals maintain their cartoon-like features because it might fail to deliver a great job if they had used an actual mouse and a cat.
But nevertheless it was still a great watch. The singing—which is a typical thing to do in every Disney production—got me bored to some extent, except for the legendary “You’re welcome” of course. I think where the fun really began was when Maui (Dwayne Johnson) made his second appearance in the movie. It was cool watching the animated character Maui in human form with the tattoos and all.
Moana and Maui’s chemistry was quite interesting and funny at the same time. A demigod who is over hundred of centuries old and a teenage girl who lived in a small island. That’s a kind of pairing you don’t see everyday. I really admired how they tried to maintain the same feel as with the cartoon, like the oceans moving and making shapes and a bunch of other unrealistic characters.
But the thing with movies like this is that there are no surprises or reasons to keep the viewers in suspense because it is more like a rewatch only in a different visual form, so you already know what going to happen next and how the overall ending would be. I guess the whole point of it is to just give the audience a different viewing experience which is quite fun.
The Moana movie is an incredible movie. I enjoyed watching it. It was as a blend of comedy, action, and mystery. But if I am to pick between it and the cartoon I think I’ll go with the cartoon. I rate the movie 3.5 stars.
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Images Credit: IMDB