Floating in like a refreshing Pacific island breeze, Moana comes along a mere 10 years after the animated feature on which it’s based, and while the live-action remake knows better than to tamper with the story’s sturdy bones, this charming new iteration stands confidently on its own. Chalk that up to a winning turn in the title role by Australian newcomer Catherine Laga’aia as a Disney princess with no need for a prince to figure out who she is or what she wants; and winking backup from a self-parodying Dwayne Johnson, fleshing out his voice role from the 2016 original, the egotistical trickster demigod of wind and sea, Maui.
I confess I’ll always be skeptical about the need for Disney’s live-action do-over assembly line as anything beyond a cash-grab regurgitation of proven screen properties. But at their best — say, Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, for one — they can put a fresh sparkle on beloved material, allowing for discovery by a new generation and the warm comfort of childhood memories for audiences old enough to have experienced them the first time around.
Moana
The Bottom Line
A buoyant surprise.
