Moana's Live-Action Trailer Confirms The Biggest Different Between It & The Animated Movie

The new trailer for the live-action Moana (2026) has dropped, confirming the biggest difference between this remake and its animated predecessor, Moana (2016). Moana (2026) is the latest in a long line of live-action Disney remakes, which have had varying degrees of success. While remakes like Cinderella (2015) and The Little Mermaid (2023) were largely well-received, movies like Lilo & Stitch (2025) were met with significant backlash.

This brand-new Moana (2026) trailer has now raised questions about which way the new movie will go with audiences, as there were already mixed reactions to the character reveals, particularly the look of Maui, who will be played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who voiced the character in the original animated movies.

In fact, while differences between animated movies and live-action remakes are always going to be expected, this one aspect of Moana (2026) is clearly going to be the major difference between it and Moana (2016), and it very well may be make or break for the movie.

Moana’s Live-Action Trailer Makes Some Characters Look Very Different

As mentioned, conversations have already started about how different the character of Maui looks in the live-action version of Moana. In particular, Maui’s wig in the new movie has gotten plenty of attention—and not necessarily in a good way.

In fairness to Disney, it was always going to be difficult to bring Maui to life in live-action. He’s a literal demi-god, after all, so his larger-than-life frame was never going to perfectly translate.

However, Maui isn’t the only character who looks different in this new trailer. The titular lead likewise has many differences from her animated counterpart, some of which also have to do with the differences between animation and live-action (animated Disney characters, particularly the princesses or princess-adjacent characters, have huge eyes, for example), and some of which don’t (Moana’s hair is considerably less curly in live-action, which has already drawn criticism).

This will be particularly interesting to see with the animals, from Moana’s beloved companions Heihei the rooster and Pua the pig, to more terrifying creatures, like the giant crab, Tamatoa. Already, glimpses of the creatures in the trailer have nodded towards some styling changes, including Tamatoa frankly seeming a bit more terrifying than goofy in this version.

Moana’s Live-Action Designs Feeling Different Could Help The Disney Movie

Moana in live-action and animation comparison

While the differences between Moana (2026) and Moana (2016), based on the current trailer, might seem like bad news for the franchise and this upcoming movie, that isn’t necessarily the case. Yes, there will always be at least some outcry from fans of the original when they see which elements of the animated movie were removed or changed in live action; there’s really no avoiding that.

However, in the long run, that might actually give the live-action movie a chance. If the live-action movie was simply a beat-for-beat remake of the animated movie, then there would ultimately be very little reason for audiences to watch it, particularly when it becomes available to stream.

There would almost certainly be those who preferred it for myriad reasons, so it would still get some viewership, but if it didn’t really differentiate itself at all, it likely wouldn’t offer viewers anything they couldn’t already get with the animated version—something for which audiences now have the added benefit of nostalgia, as well.

It’s worth noting, too, that loyalty to the original doesn’t automatically mean a live-action remake is going to be well-received.

In fact, How to Train Your Dragon (2025) was an incredibly loyal remake, and it actually ended up being criticized for that very thing. While it generally landed well with audiences, it nevertheless received a fair amount of criticism for simply redoing the original, start to finish, without significant changes.

While knee-jerk reactions to the Moana (2026) trailer, particularly online, might be to criticize the differences in character appearances, in the long term, that might actually be a saving grace for the movie. Ultimately, though, the reception of Moana (2026) will remain a question mark until the full movie is released on July 10, 2026.