Credit: DisneyMake way, make way! The first Pacific Island Disney Princess is returning to the big screen… just not in the way you’d think!
Walt Disney Animation Studios Moana (2016) made history when it hit theaters on Thanksgiving weekend of 2016, and it’s preparing to do so again as the quickest turnaround from an animated film release to a live-action remake.
During The Walt Disney Company’s 2023 Annual Shareholders Meeting on Monday, Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”) announced the development of a live-action Moana. Alongside his daughters on a beautiful beach in Hawaii, Johnson shared how important Moana was to him and hinted at involvement with the upcoming film. He will reprise his role as Maui and promises the return of beloved characters like Moana, Hei Hei, Pua, Te Fiti, and more.
Nexstar reporter Scott Gustin later shared that Johnson will produce the film alongside Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia via Seven Bucks Production. Voice of Moana Auli‘i Cravalho will serve as an executive producer. Moana screenplay writer Jared Bush is also involved in the film in some capacity:
More details about the live-action Moana film: It will be produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions. Executive producers include Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana. Jared Bush is also involved (he wrote 2016 Moana screenplay).
More details about the live-action Moana film: It will be produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions. Executive producers include Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana. Jared Bush is also involved (he wrote 2016 Moana screenplay). pic.twitter.com/dWIqvf27nb
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) April 3, 2023
No release date or further casting announcements for the live-action Moana are available at this time. Inside the Magic will continue to report on the development of the film.
More on Moana (2016)
Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) quickly became a role model for millions of young girls as the first Polynesian Disney Princess. As a driven young leader, she embarks on a dangerous journey to save her village and honor her family. She navigates grief, struggle, and the weight of leadership, all in a way that children can understand and relate to.
“Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania,” Walt Disney Animation Studios writes. “But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped, and no one knows why… Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana is about an adventurous teenager who, with help from demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and save her people.”
Are you excited about the live-action Moana? Share your thoughts in the comments.
*This article has been updated since its publication.