Disney went all-in on Moana after the 2016 film became a global hit, green-lighting a sequel — 2024’s Moana 2 — and thoroughly incorporating the character into its theme parks and merchandise. It’s still a bit of a surprise, however. Has the Mouse House remade one of its own stories too quickly? Just 10 years after the original debuted, Moana returns to cinemas in live-action format. In fact, Moana has smashed the turnaround record; the next closest competitor, Mulan, waited 22 years.

They’re Hoping We Say You’re Welcome in Our Review of the Live Action Moana

There are three delightful sequences in this new Moana. The first arrives when Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) finds the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on a remote island; he sings the self-congratulatory song You’re Welcome and weaves a fantasy demonstration of his prowess, turning the rocky isle into a kaleidoscopic visual feast. A later sequence, in which our heroes are beset by angry coconut creatures, is kinetic and exciting. And when they attempt to retrieve Maui’s magical fish hook from a monstrous, preening crab, there’s genuine humor and beauty.

Why do those sequences work? Because they’re the moments when Moana doesn’t commit to a persistent visual blandness.

One can hardly blame Disney for continuing its live-action remakes; several of these films have made shocking amounts of money, and the studio’s fans are nothing if not nostalgic. The visual language of these “reimaginings,” however, has always been lacking. Moana, like several of its predecessors, serves as an unwitting endorsement for the power of animation; the palette and playfulness available in drawn film can offer much more to fantastic scenarios than reality can.

And, as in all of these films, the animals just look awful.

At Least the Humans Can Act

Laga’aia is charismatic beyond her years and sells the spirit of the character well. It’s a tenacious, focused performance — one that was necessary given how often Moana is speaking to the water, a bizarre chicken or no one. Johnson, too, does well; he finds depths of humor and vulnerability that have been missing from many of his recent performances. You’ll be rooting for Maui (at least after you stop fixating on his terrible wig).

If there’s an opposite of a low ceiling — a high floor? — Moana benefits from it; the songs are good, the story is sturdy (if prototypical) and the performers are committed. Even when it is overcome by its stylistic flaws, it’s watchable. Creatively, though, it does little to justify why anyone needed a live-action version of a very recent film.

Not to overstate it, by the way, but … the chicken is so, so weird looking. I’d have an easier time believing that the penguins in Mary Poppins were really alive.

The Deadites Are Back: Other New Releases This Week, Including Evil Dead Burn

Evil Dead Burn, a new chapter in the long-running horror series, may be the most extreme and violent chapter in the franchise — and in this case, that’s really saying something. A troubled family, whose patriarch might have been poking around with a certain evil book, gathers for a funeral and finds themself beset by demonic corpses. The ensuing mayhem is genuinely shocking; even hardened horror fans will likely wince. Gore aside, though, it’s a gripping and smart entry in the series; the somber tone helps offset the over-the-top madness. Approach with caution, but if you’re stern stuff, your endurance will give you a reward.

A slew of comedy favorites and celebrities appear in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, a new big-screen romp directed by Wet Hot American Summer helmer David Wain. Zoey Deutch stars as a bride-to-be negotiating unexpected (and intimate) celeb encounters; the roster includes A-listers such as Jon Hamm and Jennifer Aniston as well as beloved comedic performers including Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Michael Ian Black. Early reviews have been positive.

Also receiving good notices is The Invite, director Olivia Wilde’s dinner-party-gone-weird dramedy starring herself, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. The A24 film is Wilde’s follow-up to the embattled Don’t Worry Darling and is, by all accounts, a much more satisfying effort.

Finally, if you’re still thinking about the mazes and monsters in Backrooms, there’s more to explore: An extended version of the film, dubbed the Everything Must Go Edition, hits theaters this week. The new content — a 15-minute extra sequence — can be found after the credits roll, so stick around.

Story by Sean Collier
Photos Courtesy of Disney

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine‘s print edition.