Check out our thought’s on Disney’s Live Action Moana! All photos provided by Disney PR for this review!
Hey All!
Moana is the latest of Disney’s animation to live action film adaptations. As I have previously stated on this site, there are two routes that Disney goes for these adaptations: diversions from the point of view of the original films like Maleficent and Cruella, or direct retelling in live action like The Little Mermaid and most recently last year’s Lilo and Stitch. As of late, when it comes to the live action retellings, Disney seems to be in favor in sticking so closely to the original animated film that not only are the beats of the story the same, but many frames seem to act as storyboards as they try to shoot in live action exactly as it looked in animation.
Even in Lilo and Stitch, rather than altering the looks of the aliens from animation, they simply converted them into a 3-dimensional state using computer graphics. This is the case as well for Moana; even the pig Pua and chicken Heihei have been recreated to look just like their animated counterparts rather than resemble a real chicken and pig.
For those that are not familiar with the 2016 animated film Moana, yes, the original is only ten years old and is getting the live action adaptation treatment, the story is centered around Pacific Islands and their associated myths, legends and culture. A demigod named Maui steals a stone which is the heart of the goddess Te Fiti whose existence flourishes the ocean and islands with life.
The people of Moana’s island, Motunui, have a story where the ocean will choose someone to find The Heart of Te Fiti and with Maui’s help, return it and restore the natural order of the ocean and islands. Much like the animated film, this history is communicated in story form to Moana as a young girl in the beginning of the film.
The live action adaptation does not deviate from the people of Motunui forgetting and denying their ancestors voyaging ways; nor does it change Moana’s spirit for adventure and desire to journey beyond the island’s reef. The live action adaptation follows the story beats of the original animated film verbatim; there are no changes and no surprises. What is added in the live action adaptation is live action.
We no longer live in a world in which digital techniques cannot be applied to live action entertainment to create imaginative worlds and creatures which could only be done in animation. We do still live in a world in which animation and digital graphics cannot capture natural performances from live actors.
One of the big wins for having a live action Moana film is we get Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being the live action Maui. In the animated film, Maui has a human body but is drawn to reflect his strength. Maui was voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the animated film and now he gets to be the live action embodiment of his animated character. What luck for all involved that he has always been a very athletic and physical performer, has natural charisma, and is very animated as an actor.
I dare say that Johnson’s live action performance as Maui is better than his animated performance. In live action, he has all his tools at his disposal. The big cocky smile he gives for Maui just works so well and his own physical presence makes the fantastic feats he accomplishes more believable. When you see Maui lift Moana’s boat with one hand, you buy it because look at the size of those muscles!
Though Johnson as a live action Maui is worth watching the film alone, his chemistry with the live action Moana (played by newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia) is equal to that from the animated film. Remember, the title of the film is Moana and the movie does not allow anyone to steal the show from anyone. Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana really holds her own quite well for a first-time lead in a big budget Hollywood movie. The performance does differ because she is not the original voice and she is not a cartoon, but Laga’aia captures and adequately displays the essence of Moana; and she has a beautiful singing voice so at no point does one feel the need to invite comparison.
One more thing that a live action adaptation brings is being able to behold things you know are real. The beautiful costumes of the people of Motunui are real, the stunning setting of the islands are real, and my favorite part is seeing live action choreography in a musical. Without a doubt, live action musical choreography has a presence and dynamism that has yet to be equally illustrated in animation. Also, live actors dancing, singing and navigating their boats to the song “We Know the Way” just looks really cool on the big screen.
The songs are the same, the story is the same, and as such Moana is just as fun in live action. There is one new song: “Along the Way” by Lin Manuel Miranda and performed by Catherine Lagaʻaia (the live action Moana), Auliʻi Cravalho (the original animated Moana), and Dwayne Johnson (Maui). Moana is a safe bet because you do know exactly what you are getting and if you are a fan of the original animated film, you will likely get similar enjoyment from this new live action adaptation.
