The ocean’s calling, and this time it’s in live-action glory—exactly 10 years after the animated wave crashed our hearts wide open. Dropping July 10, 2026, Thomas Kail (the Hamilton maestro) helms this remake with a Broadway-sized pulse, blending Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller’s script into a voyage that’s equal parts epic quest and soul-stirring anthem. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s back producing, so those bops like “How Far I’ll Go” are getting a fresh, windswept remix that’ll have you belting from the back row.
Catherine Laga’aia’s Moana is a revelation: that fierce curiosity in her eyes, the way she grips the oar like it’s destiny itself—pure wayfinder magic, paving the path Auli’i Cravalho (exec producer, queen move) cleared. Dwayne Johnson’s Maui? Still the tattooed showboat stealing coconuts and scenes, his booming laugh echoing across Motunui’s reefs like thunder over the Pacific. John Tui’s no-nonsense Chief Tui grounds the fire, Frankie Adams’ Sina brings playful storm energy as the ultimate mama bear, and Rena Owen’s Gramma Tala? Wisdom wrapped in wry grins and ancestral whispers that hit like a tidal pull.

The trailer’s tease—Moana’s silhouette against bioluminescent waves, Kakamora coconut chaos in hyper-real CGI, that heart-pounding sail into the unknown—promises visuals so immersive you’ll feel the spray. It’s got that rare remake spark: honoring the original’s empowerment roar while cranking the cultural authenticity with an all-Pacific Islander core. Motunui’s never looked more alive, the heart of Te Fiti never more urgent. If Moana 1 made you dream of horizons, this’ll make you chase them.

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