A plucky Polynesian girl teams up with a demigod to restore the heart of Te Fiti and bring prosperity back to her island.
Disney have been steadily remaking their animations over the past decade, and now they have turned their attention to remaking a relatively new project, Moana.
In case you haven’t seen the 2016 original, the film tells the story of a plucky Polynesian girl named Moana (Catherine Laga’aia), the daughter of a chief who breaks the village’s rules and ventures beyond the reef to find demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, who previously voiced the character).
Years before, Maui stole “the heart” – a mystical relic – from Te Fiti, an Earth goddess, and it has had a devastating impact on the islands. With plants dying and fish vanishing, Moana needs Maui to return the heart to Te Fiti and save her home of Motunui.
This live-action remake could have been an opportunity to try some bold new ideas, but this is a loyal beat-for-beat remake with only a few minor tweaks and extra jokes. It can’t have been a creatively fulfilling exercise to make the same movie over again.
Although it is a live-action film, a large portion of it is still animated by computer-generated effects to bring to life this fantastical story. For example, there is a singing coconut crab who likes shiny objects, mini coconut pirates, and a giant fire demon, plus a lot of the action takes place on the water, so a green screen background is required.
Laga’aia, in her film debut, is a warm, likeable screen presence, and she does a top job singing Moana’s Oscar-nominated song How Far I’ll Go. However, it’s a shame she can’t make the character her own because she has to stick to what her predecessor, Auli’i Cravalho, did before.
Armed with a 40-pound bodysuit and long brunette wig, Johnson reprises his role as Maui, 10 years after first voicing the demigod. Despite looking a bit silly, Johnson throws himself into the role and seems to be having a lot of fun, making him very entertaining to watch. However, at 54, he is perhaps too old for the character and his musical number, You’re Welcome, needed more visual pizzazz.
Looking at the positives, the scenes on Motunui are gorgeous and full of vibrant life, the songs are as effective as ever, and Rena Owen, John Tui and Frankie Adams are well cast as Moana’s family.
Unfortunately, animation is the better medium for fantasy sequences and they lose that sense of magic and wonder in a live-action retelling. In addition, the problems with the original film – such as the pacing – feel more pronounced in this version.
Moana is watchable and enjoyable enough, but it suffers from comparison to the original. This unnecessary retelling is unlikely to be the go-to version of the story.
In cinemas from Friday 10th July
By Hannah Wales
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