Moana 2026

Is this even necessary? It is Nanya. Nanya business! This live action is basically a frame by frame version of the animated one. I was smiling almost the entire time. I had a happy ending to the day. Still has a lot of heart. I jived to the songs because I know them by heart. The scenery is beautiful, even though I think a lot of it is CGI. I just wish they had shot more on real locations to give the world a bit more authenticity. That said, the IMAX 3D conversion is surprisingly great. There are plenty of moments where images pop out of the screen, and the wave simulations are genuinely intimidating, making me feel like I was about to be swallowed by the ocean too. Whenever Maui transforms into his eagle form, it instantly reminded me of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010). Visually, the lighting is very intentional throughout. For the vocals though, I would still choose Auliʻi Cravalho. Her performance has more emotion and personality. The deliveries lack the oomph of the original. I do love the actress playing Grandma Tala. She looks and behaves a little differently, but she still captures the same warmth and wisdom. Moana, on the other hand, feels a bit too mature and loses some of the quirky charm that made her animated counterpart so lovable. Heihei is still hilarious, while Dwayne Johnson's Maui feels less sarcastic and mischievous than before. The Shiny sequence is still my favorite part. I did notice, however, that most of the songs are performed at a slightly slower tempo, with more emphasis on the pronunciation of certain words compared to the original. Te Kā is absolutely terrifying and menacing. Her scale is massive in IMAX. The dark and night scenes are also gorgeous and so immersive. If you're going to watch this, IMAX 3D is definitely the way to experience it. If you love Moana, it is impossible to hate this.