‘Moana’ Live-Action Trailer Reveals First Footage of Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson
Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson are set to make a splash with the first trailer for Disney‘s live-action feature adaptation of Moana.
Director Thomas Kail’s remake of the original 2016 animated film hits theaters July 10, 2026. The trailer includes Laga’aia’s title character performing the song “How Far I’ll Go,” which was feature in the initial movie.
Rounding out the cast are John Tui as Moana’s father, Chief Tui; Frankie Adams as Moana’s mother, Sina; and Rena Owen as Moana’s Gramma Tala.
The Moana trailer offers the first look at the denizens of Motunui, Johnson’s shape-shifting demigod Maui and the intimidating tribe of Kakamora. Moana centers on wayfinder Moana (Laga’aia) venturing beyond her island of Motunui with the help of Maui (Johnson) in an attempt to save her people.
Kail helmed the live-action movie from a script by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller. Johnson, Beau Flynn, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda serve as producers. Executive producing are Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 film and its 2024 theatrical sequel.
Johnson originated the role of Maui in directors John Musker and Ron Clements’ 2016 animated Moana opposite Cravalho as the title character. Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger and Rachel House rounded out the voice cast for the film that collected $643 million at the global box office ($870 million today). Miranda earned an Oscar nomination for the original song “How Far I’ll Go,” and the movie was also nominated for best animated feature.
Live-action remakes of popular animated properties continue to be a priority for Disney. The studio recently put a new version of 2010’s Tangled back in development after it was paused earlier this year following Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s live-action Snow White underperforming at the box office. Disney had a massive summer hit with the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, while Barry Jenkins’ prequel movie Mufasa: The Lion King also had a strong showing when it debuted late last year.
