Disney’s live-action Moana is headed for its July 10 premiere with Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Lagaʻaia front and center, as new portraits from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, NV put the film back in view ahead of its theatrical release. Johnson, who plays Maui, said he wanted to bring “real flesh and blood and souls behind the eyes” to the role.
The timing matters because the film is moving from promotion to the final stretch before audiences can actually see it. Disney is presenting the project as a live-action reimagining of the Oscar®-nominated animated adventure, with Thomas Kail directing and Johnson, Beau Flynn, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda among the producers. The portraits, shared through D23, also underline how closely the studio is tying the release to the wider visibility of the franchise.
Johnson also said the film fits into a “really cool global embrace and curiosity of Polynesian culture,” a line that frames the movie as more than a familiar title with a new cast. That cultural weight is at the center of Lagaʻaia’s comments as well. She said Moana was “true representation” to her when she first saw the character on screen and recalled thinking, “I thought she looked like my sister!”
For Lagaʻaia, that recognition is part of why the live-action version carries pressure even before opening day. She said Moana is “such an accurate and true representation of the Pacific Islands and of Polynesia,” but she also drew a clear line under what came before. Lagaʻaia said she might be “a new kid’s Moana,” yet added that “without Auliʻi and without that Moana, there is no opportunity for this to exist.” That makes the film a continuation as much as a remake: it is trying to reach a new audience without pretending the animated original did not set the standard.
Johnson said he first met Thomas Kail in 2023, and that partnership now lands at a moment when Disney is counting down to the July 10 release. The next step is simple enough: the film moves from portraits and remarks to theaters, where viewers will decide whether this new Moana feels like a fresh voyage or simply a larger-scale return.
