Moana Goes Full Action Hero in the Live-Action Remake, Facing a Showdown With the Elements

Disney is taking Moana from animation to live action, and the first trailer that dropped earlier this month makes the case pretty clearly: Catherine Laga'aia is out there riding real waves as Moana, and we get a quick peek at Dwayne Johnson back as Maui. I asked someone who knows the character inside and out why this was the one to make the leap.

Why Moana, and why now?

I caught up with Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jared Bush — who co-wrote the original Moana and co-directed Zootropolis 2 (Zootopia 2 in the US) — and he admitted he snuck in a set visit. Yes, the animation boss visiting the live-action shoot. He said the whole thing hits different because it exists in a real, physical space instead of a soundstage fantasy.

"She's almost like an action hero first, more than anything else."

"And so to see an actual 16 year old on the actual ocean, there's this really impressive human versus the elements angle to that, which I think people are going to really enjoy."

Quick refresher

The animated Moana follows a determined teenager who sails out to return the heart of the goddess Te Fiti, with a reluctant assist from demi-god Maui. In the original, Maui was voiced by Dwayne Johnson. In the live-action version, he is physically back as Maui. That consistency helps — this is a character he already made his own.

The bottom line

• The first live-action Moana trailer arrived earlier this month and shows Catherine Laga'aia in action on the water, plus a glimpse of Dwayne Johnson as Maui.
• Jared Bush, WDAS chief creative officer and writer on the original Moana, quietly visited the live-action set and says the 'real ocean' factor gives the story a human-against-nature snap.
• His take on the character: Moana plays like an action lead, which translates cleanly to live action.
• The animated film's core quest remains the touchstone: Moana sailing to restore Te Fiti's heart with Maui in tow — with Johnson reprising that role in the new version.
• Release dates: Moana hits theaters July 10, 2026; Zootropolis 2 (Zootopia 2 in the US), which Bush co-directed, opens November 28.