Moana 2026 Review Scores Look Rough as Disney’s Live-Action Remake Trend Hits
Moana (2026) is landing in theaters this week—and it’s not the same movie as the earlier Moana (2016). The new release is the latest entry in Disney’s steady stream of live-action remakes of beloved animated classics, a strategy that has sparked plenty of debate over why these stories need to be re-made in the first place. Early review sentiment suggests this one may be the most criticized of the bunch so far.
Moana’s Opening Review Scores Arrive—and They’re Brutal
When Moana (2026) debuted, its Rotten Tomatoes score landed at 36. That’s not just “below average”—it’s the kind of result that signals a potential disaster for audience expectations and firmly places the movie among the least-loved releases of the year so far. It also joins the bottom tier of Disney live-action remakes based on critical reception.
Mufasa may be doing well, but traditional animation would still likely put it in a different league.
While Rotten Tomatoes does list a handful of live-action Disney titles with even lower marks in broader comparisons, the strict head-to-head comparison among traditional one-to-one remake efforts points to Pinocchio as the only one currently worse than Moana. The 2022 live-action Pinocchio scored 29.
I don’t remember that film making much of an impression—now I understand why.
To put Moana’s performance into perspective, several Disney remakes with higher Rotten Tomatoes results include Dumbo, Aladdin, Lilo & Stitch, and Lady and the Tramp—another live-action version many people may have missed until now. Even compared with 2025’s Snow White, Moana didn’t manage to post a better score. Snow White was widely described as one of the year’s weakest movies, and it also marked another low point for Disney’s ongoing push to convert its animated back catalog into live-action releases.
How Does Moana’s Score Stack Up Against Game Movie Adaptations?
Since this is a gaming site, let’s shift the comparison to another Hollywood trend: adapting video games for the big screen. Moana’s low Rotten Tomatoes score is 11 points behind A Minecraft Movie. It also lands below both Mario movies—even though those titles were commercially successful, they still received harsh critical treatment. And Moana falls far short of Sonic’s track record, with all three of the blue hedgehog’s movies earning Rotten Tomatoes scores in the 90s.
Yes, they really are that good. I’ll stand by my Sonic tattoo as evidence.
So does this finally bring an end to Disney’s live-action remake pipeline? Probably not. Even when critics dislike these movies, audiences still show up in large numbers because they’re familiar Disney properties—remakes of stories people already love. That said, Moana’s box office results could still matter. If ticket sales end up outpacing the bad review buzz, it could shift the conversation. We’ll know more once the opening weekend numbers are published on Monday.
Moana Cast
- Catherine Laga’aia as Moana
- Dwayne Johnson as Maui
- Rena Owen as Gramma Tala
- John Tui as Chief Tui
