I also wasn’t expecting the live-action version to deepen the emotional impact. My son briefly said he felt scared when Chief Tui (John Tui) raises his voice. He’d deny it, but he also started blinking non-stop and wiping his eyes during the part when Moana finally returns the Heart of Te Fiti to its rightful owner. (For the record, I sob during that scene every single time.) Bottom line: The actual story of Moana has always been rock solid, and it translates beautifully to live action.
My son’s favorite part? It was Tamatoa—who still appears animated—hands-down. I was partial to the scene featuring the battle with the Kakamora. But I was also thrilled beyond measure by that new Lin-Manuel Miranda song. (It’s called, “Along the Way,” and features the voices of both Laga’aia and the original Moana, played by Auli’i Cravalho.) Let’s just say, after this past weekend, it’s already on track to be a top-played tune of the year.
We walked out of the theater debating our favorite scenes and humming the new song (OK, that was mainly me). If the biggest complaint is that Disney stayed too close to the original, I’d argue that’s exactly why this remake succeeds. For longtime fans, it preserves everything that made Moana special while creating just enough magic to leave my 8-year-old buzzing. (He also is already asking to go back to the theater for round two.)
