On November 17, Disney dropped the first official trailer of their newest project, the live action version of Moana. Viewers are already expressing strong opinions, even on this one minute preview. Some think it’s too similar to the original, others think it is just an unnecessary movie. Regardless, the official beginning to this next live action prompts a question: should Disney stop making live action movies?
Disney has been remaking classics and turning them into live actions for over two decades now and were at first very successful. Prior to the pandemic, these movies were enjoyed by many, making as much as $543,638,043 on The Lion King in 2019. Other movies were also notably successful, with The Jungle Book (2016) receiving a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, recently Disney has not been as successful. Released in 2025, Snow White has been regarded as disappointing and was ultimately unsuccessful both financially and critically. Now, with the official announcement of Moana through the trailer and other possible remakes on the horizon, such as a live action Tangled, causing Disney fans to grow tired of these unoriginal movies.
The trailer depicts a nearly identical setting to the original animated film with no details that are in any way different from the original, until the last ten seconds when fans get their first look at the new Moana herself. “It kind of seems repetitive and unnecessary,” commented senior Jack LaBar, a fan of the original film.
One feature of Moana stands out more than anything else: her hair. The neat, blown-out look counters the curly hair that has been associated with this beloved character for almost ten years. The only difference goes against the iconic image of the face of the movie and even goes against the culture this movie is taking place in. Taking place in a tropical setting, her hair would likely have those curls due to the humidity. Therefore, the one stamp of originality in this movie surpasses logic and goes against the image of a character that fans were content with.
This much disappointment surrounding a movie that has yet to even be released might be a sign that Disney needs to move past this tactic, especially because it’s not their first live action flop. With Moana, the movie is seemingly too repetitive, whereas with Snow White and Mulan, another unsuccessful remake, the movies were criticized as straying too far from the original plot. Disney seemingly can’t win with these movies, so it might be time to move on.
Additionally, another issue with the new Moana is the timeliness. In November of 2016, the animated Moana took to theaters. The live action version is set to be released in the summer of 2026, not even a whole decade after the original release. It makes sense to remake Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs because children were not even born when the original was released and the technology made the movie seem outdated, making a fresh take on the movie excusable. However, with so many high schoolers remembering seeing Moana in theaters as a child, it might be too early to release a second rendition. Senior Giselle Derisi is a big fan of Disney movies and is very adamant on this belief. “It’s too early for them to make life action,” said Derisi.
Disney had success in the past with these live action renditions of classics, however recently, these movies are causing a lot of disappointment. It seems like it’s time to let these cartoons stay in the past for everyone to enjoy and move on to more original plots.
