After drawing more than 2.26 million admissions in French cinemas, Moana continues its journey on home screens. Disney's live-action remake will be available on VOD from November 5, 2026, for purchase or rental depending on the platform.
Released in theaters on July 8, 2026, the film directed by Thomas Kail retells the coming-of-age story of a young navigator summoned by the sea. Moana leaves the reef off Motunui for the first time to help her people regain prosperity. She sails across the ocean alongside Maui, the shape-shifting demigod who was already at the heart of the original animated film.
Catherine Lagaʻaia stars as Vaiana, while Dwayne Johnson reprises the role of Maui, which he voiced in the 2016 animated film. The cast also includes John Tui as Chief Tui, Frankie Adams as Sina, and Rena Owen as Grandmother Tala.
The film is produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Auliʻi Cravalho, the original voice of Moana in the animated films, is among the executive producers.
Our take on Moana: The Legend of the Far Side of the World:
There was reason to be wary. The first glimpses of Moana: The Legend of the Far Side of the World hinted at a somewhat stiff live-action remake, perhaps too calculated, maybe less liberated than the 2016 animated film. On screen, the surprise is real: Thomas Kail’s film is far more beautiful, expansive, and alive than the trailers suggested.
Set for a July 8, 2026 release in France, Moana: The Legend of the Far Side of the World retells the familiar journey of Motunui’s heroine, drawn by the ocean and compelled to leave her island to save her people. Catherine Laga’aia plays Moana, while Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui, the demigod he already voiced in the animated edition.
From the opening scenes, the film leans into its promise: to retell Moana in live action, with Disney’s spectacular scale and a clear aim to preserve the emotional core of the model.
The good news is that this promise often holds. Visually, the movie exudes real generosity. The landscapes breathe, light adds depth to the sets, the ocean returns with a nearly magical presence that powered the original film. The visual effects don’t just tick boxes: they accompany the adventure, conjure a sense of journey, and restore the grand, family-movie feel to the mythic moments.
There’s sometimes a sense of Disney’s machinery weighing in, but overall it possesses a straightforward, immediate beauty that wears particularly well on the big screen.
The true heart of the film, however, comes from Dwayne Johnson. There were worries that Maui might lose suppleness, whimsy, or expressiveness in the transition to live action. If anything, the opposite happens. The actor brings a physical presence that’s obvious, plus a humor, warmth, and unexpected fragility. He’s strong, confident, with a touch of showmanship that’s just right, never reduced to a mere spectacle.
In his comic moments as in the more emotional ones, he gives Maui a density that makes the character highly endearing. And, a detail that sparked much chatter during the trailers, his appearance works far better in the film than in isolated clips: the hair, the tattoos, the silhouette, and the performance all align with the world’s universe.
Opposite him, Catherine Laga’aia carries Moana with sincerity. The film doesn’t pretend to reinvent the heroine, but it gives her a more grounded, physical presence. The gaze, the gestures, the way she inhabits the space—these allow Moana’s determination to shine through without simply mimicking the animation. The heart of the story remains that of a young woman who refuses to let her horizon be confined to fear, duty, or staid tradition.
That dimension still lands, in large part because the movie keeps its sense of adventure and its direct approach to storytelling.
That said, this is also where the film’s limit reveals itself. Moana: The Legend of the Far Side of the World stays so faithful to the animated version that it sometimes robs itself of freedom. The plot beats, the songs, the big emotional crescendos, the scenes we expect: all present, nearly identical. That fidelity can feel reassuring. It will let kids, families, and fans find exactly what they came for.
Yet it also leaves a touch of regret: a vast, myth-rich world of family ties, questions of heritage and territory, that the live-action could have explored in new ways.
The paradox is plain: the more successfully the remake mirrors its source, the more you wish it would dare to diverge. This live-action transition could have opened new scenes, shifted some stakes, deepened Moana’s relationship with her people, or given Maui a slightly different arc. Instead, the film follows the 2016 classic with a reassuring but sometimes overly cautious fidelity.
We admire the imagery, we smile at the reunions, we lean into the songs, and then we find ourselves awaiting a sideways step that almost never comes.
That absence of true surprise doesn’t stop the movie from delivering as a family spectacle. The songs stay catchy, the adventure sequences keep pace, emotion flows, and overall it never feels cynical. There’s a sincere wish to make this world feel alive in flesh, in sets, and in light. Simply put, Moana: The Legend of the Far Side of the World is a very beautiful reincarnation, not a reinterpretation. It revives the memory more than it transforms it.
The film speaks primarily to families, children, Moana fans, and anyone who enjoys blockbuster, musical Disney narratives in a spectacular, accessible form. It may also appeal to Dwayne Johnson’s admirers, who’ll find one of his most complete roles here—combining comic force, charisma, and emotion.
It will likely disappoint viewers tired of Disney’s live-action remakes, or those who hoped this new version would use its form shift to tell something different. Animation purists may lament the loss of stylization, graphical freedom, and pure invention that comes with realism, even if this version partly compensates with its scale and presence.
In the end, Moana: The Legend of the Far Side of the World lands the live-action family spectacle with more success than expected. The film is beautiful, generous, often moving, and Dwayne Johnson yields a surprisingly strong presence. Yet it remains bound by its reverence for the original. A lovely journey, to be sure, along a road we nearly know by heart.
To discover the rest of this month's new releases, check our guide to November's VOD releases, our selection What to Watch Today on Streaming? and the family-friendly films.
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