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Disney's Live-Action Moana Remake Sparks Confusion & Frustration
Fans react with confusion and frustration following Disney's announcement of a live-action Moana remake. Released in 2016, the original animated musical followed the titular character on an adventure that explored and celebrated Polynesian culture. In order to save her people from a blight consuming their island, Moana embarks on a perilous journey across the ocean to return the heart of Te Fiti to its sacred home.
On the heels of Dwayne Johnson's surprise announcement that Moana will receive a live-action remake, fans flocked to social media with a myriad of reactions. Many were befuddled by the move, wondering why Disney would select a relatively recent animated film for the live-action treatment. Check out what people are saying about the upcoming Moana remake below:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1642943088162226182
Why Moana Is Facing Fan Backlash
Moana's remake follows a trend at Disney, with the media giant mining its expansive library of animated content and remaking it in live-action. Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, among many others, have been remade into relatively faithful adaptations with live actors assisted by a healthy dose of computer-generated imagery. Along with the remakes, Disney plucked characters from several properties for live-action spinoff films, such as Maleficent, Cruella, and Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers. However, the original films and their respective remakes have a significant amount of time between them.
The chief complaint regarding the Moana remake lies with the animated film's age. Released only seven years ago, Moana proved immensely popular with audiences, earning over $682 million at the box office. The film continues to attract audiences on Disney+, with Moana landing in the top three most-watched movies on the streaming service in both 2021 and 2022 despite the platform receiving highly-anticipated new films every year. As the film continues to be popular, and with a Moana Disney+ television series set to premiere next year, fans' confusion regarding the remake is understandable.
Although the Moana remake will feature all the characters from the original, including Johnson returning as Maui, the actor specifically called the film a "reimagining." This may imply that there will be significant deviations from the beloved source material. However, with the previous remakes closely adhering to their predecessors, such a daring move is unlikely. As the Moana remake has just been announced, audiences will have to be patient for any further updates.
