If the new live-action Moana is going to be as good as Hamilton, it is definitely a movie not to miss.
On April 3rd of this year, wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced the Disney live-action remake of Moana. Moana is a story of the daughter of a chief of a coastal village, who is chosen by the ocean to reunite a mystical curio to the goddess Te Fiti. Moana meets the mighty demigod Maui, voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who joins her on her journey. This movie grossed a worldwide total of $690.8 million in the box office and won several major awards.
With the announcement of a live-action remake, fans are eager to know the casting and directing of the movie. Disney knows not to disappoint, which is why they brought in Thomas Kail.
Thomas Kail
Kail directed Hamilton, In the Heights, Grease: Live, Magic/Bird, and many more films, television shows, and on/off Broadway shows. Additionally, he won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Hamilton. Being close friends with the hit songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, the two worked together in huge success not only on Hamilton, but on most of the others as well.
Hamilton made musical history and had sold $1 billion worth of tickets in less than two years. It’s received a number of Tony nominations, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Miranda’s humorous but sophisticated lyrics made the audience dance out of their seats. Furthermore, Kail’s amazing directing made the show captivating.
Disney’s Live-Action Remakes
Disney’s first live-action remake was in 1994 of The Jungle Book. Many people say it was the worst. They came back in 1996 and 2000 with 101 Dalmatians 1 & 2. 10 years later, they released Alice in Wonderland, directed by the spooky Tim Burton. Gaining more success, they took a try at more of them.
In 2014, the film Maleficent hit the theaters as a loose retelling of the animated film, Sleeping Beauty. Leading with much success, Disney began to drop live-action remakes every year after that. They even remade The Jungle Book in 2016, and definitely redeemed themselves with that one.
Some other notable remakes they made include Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, and most recently, The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid came out on May 26th of this year and has earned more than $186 million in its first 10 days. Prior to its announcement, it received much controversy because they chose Halle Bailey, a Black woman, to play Ariel. However, Bailey SLAYED as Ariel and inspired many little girls of color through this film.
Moana of Motunui
Spending a lot of time growing up in Oahu, Hawaii, the island means a lot to “The Rock.” Because of this, the live-action remake is very important to him, and he is also working hard with Disney to make this film happen. With Kail as director and possibly even “The Rock” playing Maui, this film is looking like it’s going to have just as much success as The Little Mermaid. It’s projected to come out in 2024, so stay updated.
