Why Disney Is Remaking ‘Moana’ So Soon After the Original

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Disney recently announced a live-action remake of Moana, which many found surprising. The original animated Moana came out less than ten years ago, raising questions about whether remakes are happening too quickly – similar to the reaction when DreamWorks announced a How to Train Your Dragon remake. What makes this even more unexpected is that a direct animated sequel, Moana 2, was just released in theaters in 2024.

Audiences are starting to tire of Disney’s live-action remakes, although some, like the new Lilo & Stitch, still perform very well at the box office, while others, like the recent Snow White, have struggled. Disney is continuing some stories with animated sequels, such as Frozen and Zootopia, and plans to adapt Tangled into a live-action film. But Moana is getting both a live-action remake and a new animated series. The question is whether this approach will maximize profits from Moana, or if it risks audiences becoming oversaturated with the brand. Ultimately, that’s the primary reason Disney is rushing to remake Moana.

‘Moana’ Is One of Disney’s Most Profitable Franchises

From 2020 to 2024, Moana was the most-watched movie on Disney+, dominating the platform for almost its entire existence. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal even declared it “the top movie in streaming history.” Interestingly, while Moana earned $687.2 million worldwide, it didn’t make as much money as Frozen or Zootopia, both of which surpassed $1 billion globally. However, Moana has become a beloved film for children over the past decade. Its original fans have grown up with it, and it continues to attract new young viewers year after year.

Originally intended as a series for Disney+, Moana 2 was developed into a full-length animated movie and revealed to the public nine months before its release (following the announcement of a live-action Moana film). The movie was a huge success, earning the biggest Thanksgiving opening weekend ever and becoming Disney Animation’s highest-grossing debut, surpassing Frozen 2. Worldwide, Moana 2 brought in over $1.059 billion, proving the strong popularity and profitability of the Moana franchise.

Following the underwhelming performance of the live-action Snow White, Disney is adjusting its remake strategy. Rather than abandoning the idea altogether, the studio is now concentrating on films from the last 35 years – movies that will likely appeal to the nostalgia of its core audience, those aged 18 to 49. Previous live-action adaptations like Lilo & Stitch, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King all grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Having already remade most of its classic Disney Renaissance films, the studio is now turning its attention to films from its later revival period. A remake of Tangled is currently planned, and Scarlett Johansson is being considered to play Mother Gothel.

The success of Moana on Disney+ has led to plans for both a live-action remake and a new animated sequel. Unlike remakes of Beauty and the Beast and Lilo & Stitch, which came decades after the originals, this Moana remake is coming less than ten years after the first film. It raises the question of whether audiences will go to theaters for a remake when the original is easily accessible on Disney+. The trailer suggests a very faithful, almost scene-for-scene recreation of the original, and given the $636 million worldwide success of a similar approach with How to Train Your Dragon, it seems like that’s what viewers are looking for.

Dwayne Johnson Wants To Change the Hierarchy of Power in the Disney Live-Action Universe


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Dwayne Johnson spent almost three years saying his movie, Black Adam, would dramatically reshape the DC Universe. He wasn’t wrong, but the impact wasn’t what he expected. Despite his efforts to influence the direction of the DC movies – including pushing for Henry Cavill’s return as Superman to set up a potential showdown – the 2022 film didn’t resonate with critics or moviegoers.

On October 25, 2022, James Gunn and Peter Safran were named the new leaders of DC Studios, only four days after the release of Black Adam. This signaled a change in direction, but not one that benefited Dwayne Johnson. Johnson had likely hoped Black Adam would launch a long-running film series for him, but with the new leadership in place, that didn’t happen, and he appeared to choose the most secure option instead.

It’s no surprise Dwayne Johnson announced a live-action Moana remake just six months after his film Black Adam wasn’t successful. If Black Adam had performed well and led to the planned sequels and spin-offs, Johnson likely wouldn’t have been so quick to revisit the Moana world, even though he’s already voicing Maui in Moana 2 and a future third film. Around the same time, he also made a cameo in Fast X, hinting at a return to that series after a well-known disagreement with Vin Diesel in 2017. With Black Adam failing, Johnson needed a guaranteed hit, and a live-action Moana certainly seems like a safe bet.

Honestly, the new live-action Moana feels less like a creative choice and more like Disney trying to recapture the magic – and the box office success – of the original, especially given how well those live-action remakes did a few years back. It also seems like a perfect project for Dwayne Johnson, who clearly needs a big franchise under his belt. It really makes you wonder if we’ll be getting a live-action Moana followed by an animated one, back and forth, for years to come! It’s launching into a crowded summer, though. Another adventure on the high seas, The Odyssey, is coming out just a week later. They’re aiming for very different audiences, so it might not be a direct competition. But the real question is: will kids get more excited about Moana or Spider-Man? Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also hitting theaters that same month. Mark your calendars – the live-action Moana remake is scheduled to sail into theaters on July 10, 2026.

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2025-11-18 22:21