Nearly a decade ago, the first Moana animated movie hit theaters and showed the world what professional wrestling fans already knew: Dwayne Johnson can sing.
More importantly, though, the movie was a game changer for Walt Disney and opened the door to broader representation in stories like this — centering on an all-Polynesian cast, aside from Jemaine Clement, who plays a giant jewel-loving crab. Moana, in its first two animated installments, continued the refreshing trend that Frozen and Brave began, subverting the romantic princess trope that has long been established as a Disney mainstay.
All this is to say that, as a father of a 7-year-old girl, these movies have been on regular rotation in my home and have since burned their way into my memory bank. So, I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that, when I first heard Disney was making a live-action Moana, I couldn’t help but feel this was all for profiting off of IP and nothing else.
Read more: How Disney crafted water for its visually stunning ‘Moana’
Dwayne Johnson stars in Moana.
Perhaps it feels that way because director Thomas Kail, best known for helming Hamilton, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the dude who brought that Broadway juggernaut to life, bring their creative energies together once again here.
It’s worth noting that this is Laga’aia’s big-screen debut, and her talent is infectious. Beaming and determined, every song she sings lights up the screen. And her acting skills make her a formidable scene partner for Dwayne Johnson, who goes all out as the demigod Maui.
I’m happy to write those words. When the trailer for the movie first dropped, I, like many others, couldn’t get past the distracting wig he’s wearing. It brought me back to his 2014 attempt to bring demigod Hercules to life on the big screen.
Thankfully, those luscious locks weren’t the distraction I expected. Johnson’s third outing as Maui is fantastic. If you’ve watched the actor’s social media feed, you’ve seen him deliver the rap lyrics from his hit song You’re Welcome countless times to young fans. Seeing him do it here, all buffed out, with the Fabio hair and tattoos, comes off as an exclamation point at the end of a rather satisfying sentence.
