Disney has released the final trailer for its Moana live action remake, and with it came the first look at Tamatoa and confirmation that Jemaine Clement is back to voice the glittering crab. Catherine Laga'aia fronts the film as Moana, while Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui in a movie now locked for theaters on July 10, 2026.
The timing matters because Disney is bringing the story back less than ten years after the animated original hit theaters in 2016 and became a major hit with more than $687 million at the global box office. The new trailer keeps its focus on familiar material: Te Fiti, Maui’s animal transformations, the demigod’s moving tattoos, Heihei and Pua all flash by, making the remake feel built to reassure fans as much as to sell them on the new cast.
Clement’s return is the trailer’s sharpest surprise because Tamatoa is shown for the first time in the final cut, giving the release a bit of villainous spectacle the earlier marketing had held back. Thomas Kail directs the film, and the project also carries the weight of the franchise’s bigger recent success: Moana 2 earned more than $1.059 billion worldwide, keeping the brand near the center of Disney’s animation business.
What the trailer does not do is almost as notable as what it does show. There is no hint of any new song, even though Disney live-action remakes often add at least one original number, and the original film’s music already left a mark with an Academy Award-nominated song, “How Far I’ll Go.” Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina are returning for the live-action film, which leaves the question of fresh music hanging until Disney chooses to say more.
For now, the studio has done enough to clarify the main selling points: Laga'aia in the title role, Johnson back as Maui, Clement back as Tamatoa and a theatrical release that arrives July 10, 2026. The last trailer does what a final trailer is supposed to do — it confirms the cast, shows the world and leaves one detail still unresolved.
