Disney's 'Moana' Live-Action Movie Updates
TapTechNews June 14th, Disney and Dwayne Johnson announced in April 2023 that they are shooting a live-action version of 'Moana', Dwayne Johnson, who voiced Maui in the animation, will continue to play the Maui giant, while Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana, will not act but serve as an executive producer (along with Dwayne Johnson).
More than a year later, Disney announced yesterday that they have selected 17-year-old Australian actress Catherine Laga'aia (Catherine Laga'aia) to play the lead in the live-action 'Moana' movie.
The film will be released in North America on July 10, 2026. Laga'aia said, My grandfather is from Fara in Savai'i, Palau-li. My grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of Upolu, Samoa. I am honored to have the opportunity to celebrate the people of Samoa and all the Pacific Islanders and represent young girls like me.
TapTechNews has learned that the animated 'Moana' movie was released in 2016 and tells the story of the Polynesian people who love sailing living on a small Pacific island. The girl Moana longs to explore mysterious islands and embarks on an adventurous sailing journey with the mythical hero and the living totem statue Maui.
The story begins with the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), who stole the heart of the goddess Te Fiti, which led to the lava devil Eka going berserk and the South Pacific islands facing the threat of destruction. More than a thousand years later, Moana (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho), the daughter of the chief of a certain island, grew up under the care of her parents. When she was a child, she once picked up the heart of Te Fiti and was also summoned by the sea, but her father strictly forbade Moana from going to sea even though the island was under the threat of death. From her grandma, Moana learned about the history of their people, so in order to save the island, she still went to sea to find Maui who was trapped somewhere so that he could return the heart of Te Fiti. After going through all kinds of hardships, Moana finally met this legendary, arrogant demigod. Maui, on the other hand, refused to go due to concerns about the bad luck brought by the heart of Te Fiti.
Only under the guidance of fate, Maui still embarked on the unknown journey with Moana...