All 3 Moana Movies (Including The Live-Action Remake), Ranked

It's pretty safe to say that "Moana" has rightfully earned its place among the canon of Disney classics, with the original 2016 film only growing in popularity year after year. Audiences latched onto the story of its titular heroine (Auli'i Cravalho), a Polynesian teenager whose adventurous spirit compels her to take to the vast ocean in order to save her island of Motunui from an oncoming famine overtaking their natural resources.

To complete her mission, she needs the help of Maui (Dwayne Johnson), a shapeshifting demigod who revels in being a braggart about his many abilities. The pair set off on an adventure that includes sailing Moana's boat across the seas and restoring the heart belonging to the living island Te Fiti. 

No one knew truly how far the 2016 animated adventure would go, especially at the time. While "Moana" made about $300 million less than "Zootopia," that year's other massively successful animated Disney film, it racked up two Academy Award nominations, became one of the most consistently streamed movies across all services, and paved the way for its theatrical sequel, 2024's "Moana 2," to reach the $1 billion mark at the box office. It was all but inevitable that Disney would take advantage of its success by expanding the musical coming-of-age story into a sprawling multimedia franchise through sequels, theme park attractions, and, like clockwork, a live-action remake, which is now playing in theaters nationwide.

There are currently three movies in the "Moana" saga, with "Moana 3" in development, so let's rank them and see which one has the nerve (or rather, heart) to face Te Kā.

A common complaint among the detractors of Disney's live-action remakes is that the company is so preoccupied with lazily recreating the animated films that they conceptually feel rather pointless. The 2026 "Moana" is no different from the likes of 2017's "Beauty and the Beast" and 2019's "The Lion King" in that it's another completely superfluous adaptation whose main objective is brand loyalty, yet it somehow proves these movies can sink even lower.

Critics didn't hold back on this soulless retread that's pretty much the exact same movie down to the shot compositions, story beats, dialogue, songs, and even jokes. It's a dispiriting experience in which director Thomas Kail turns one of Disney's best animated movies of the 2010s into sludge and feeds it back to you through an aesthetically ugly cash-in that hopes you'll see through the facade.

Dwayne Johnson's live-action turn as Maui always looks like he's doing a tired bit for "Saturday Night Live," as he sports one of the worst screen wigs in recent memory. It's hard to believe this is the same guy who brought such gusto, humility, and humor to the beloved character in spite of working from the same material. While she can definitely sing, newcomer Catherine Laga'aia appears lost, her Moana stranded among a sea of artificial green screen backgrounds and mechanical rigs. You can't help but notice that Laga'aia and Johnson have no spark to their screen chemistry, and often don't even occupy the same frame together.

2026's "Moana" possesses everything you loved about the less-than-a-decade-old phenomenon, albeit without a shred of humanity. This makes you wonder why they went through with this (besides the obvious answer) when about 70% of the film is animated. In short, it's the live-action remake the Generative AI generation deserves.

The Mouse House initially planned to bring Moana back to the screen in a television series for Disney+, which was developed throughout the early 2020s. Somewhere along the way, the project was retooled as a proper theatrical sequel. But much like this year's "The Mandalorian and Grogu," "Moana 2" still can't help but feel like a bunch of episodes of a streaming series stitched together.

It takes place three years after the events of the first film, with Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) embracing her position as both a chieftess of Motunui and a wayfinder of the seas. Her ancestors inform her that the reason the people across the ocean are so fractured from one another is because of the storm god Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea'i), who sank the island beacon of Montufetu to the bottom of the ocean. Moana sets out along with a motley crew of islanders to find Maui (Dwayne Johnson), battle monsters, and restore the connection.

On paper, the plot of "Moana 2" sounds like a fun idea that sends the spunky wayfinder out on another oceanic adventure, as well as a timely story about communal reconciliation, but it can't escape the narrative pacing of a television series condensed to a movie. You can clearly see where each episode is meant to end. Even the songs are completely forgettable, as are the raft's batch of generic occupants. In that way, the film fails to recapture the magic of the original.

Otherwise, it's still a gorgeously animated follow-up with its own share of colorful imagery. Allowing Cravalho to play Moana as older helps establish the passing of time and moves the story forward. "Moana 2" is able to stick the landing just enough that it presents an opportunity for the next movie to take advantage of the wayfinder's newfound abilities.

Disney legends John Musker and Ron Clements continued their winning streak of directing some of the company's most memorable animated features with 2016's "Moana," which still holds up insanely well. The pair's original idea was meant to be centered around Maui and his place in Polynesian mythology as a demigod, but their research in the Pacific Islands led them to rework the project to center around a chief's daughter, who would ultimately become Moana. 

It was a wise decision that gave audiences a contemporary Disney protagonist who could sing, be funny, learn from her mistakes, and leap into action at a moment's notice. Then-newcomer Auli'i Cravalho (who believes she's one and the same with her animated counterpart) is so effortlessly charming in the role, embodying a great role model. She doesn't set out to shirk her responsibilities, so much as retrofit them to satiate her sense of adventurous yearning.

Cravalho's presence is matched by Dwayne Johnson bringing an extraordinary amount of expressiveness, pathos, and humor to Maui. They're an excellent screen pair who always keep each other on their toes. The tradition of earworm Disney songs is maintained with Lin-Manuel Miranda's buoyant tunes, like "You're Welcome" and "How Far I'll Go." It also helps that, in addition to being a very fun family adventure flick, "Moana" is deeply reverential of Polynesian culture in a manner that lends it a great deal of authenticity.

"Moana" is a movie that continues to reach the hearts and minds of many people through its stunning animation, lovable characters, and timeless lesson of environmental protection ensuring our future.