Moana (2026) Review: Walmart freezer aisle Moana
I was so annoyed at myself for convincing myself to see Moana, or for the greater good of this website, and for my incessant need to review every film. But here we are; I watched this useless, unnecessary live-action remake of one of my favorite Disney movies. At least I got to see it with my mom, grandma, and my best friends, so I hoped that rare entourage could make up the difference. So, was this film as offensively horrible as Snow White or Mulan, as useless as The Lion King, great like Aladdin or The Jungle Book, or something as eccentric and against the grain as Burton's Alice in Wonderland? That's what I, Brighton Nelson of The Reel Ranker, will be tackling in today's Moana review.
Let's get into the negatives first. As expected, this is just a worse version of the animated movie. The film looks nowhere near as beautiful as the original animated film, especially in terms of the Rock's hairstyle. If they hired the crew who worked on The Smashing Machine, maybe that aspect wouldn't be horrendous. With mediocre VFX, alright production design, and Maui's hair atrocities, it can't even compare to the original.
While the voice performances here are still solid, the voice performances in the original are too elite to beat! However, the standout new addition here was easily Rena Owen as Gramma Tala. She needs to be in more big roles immediately!
The film also completely lacks originality in its story. The Jungle Book, Pete's Dragon, Cruella, Maleficent, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland have all proven that a reimagining, no matter how big or small, can be interesting in new ways that make them worth remaking or spinning off from the original stories.
This film offers no true justification for its existence. It's simply not necessary. But when you combine the new performances that do a solid job, the re-recorded renditions of the music, the wonderful new credits song, and some solidly funny new jokes? There's just enough justification and variation that I can't give it a thumbs down. If it didn't bomb at the box office and get critically demolished, and was getting glazed, I'd probably give it a thumbs-down to counteract that. But that was never going to happen.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 54%
Letter Score: C+
Star Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
In the end, Moana (2026) is still the Moana we love, reimagined in a useless yet still competent new format. I'd only recommend it to die-hard Moana fans looking for new quips and roasts, those who want to see the new performances, or those uncultured swine who avoid animation like the plague for no fair reason.
Check out my other Disney, Pixar, and animation reviews below! 😄
Brighton Nelson
Brighton NelsonBrighton Nelson
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