On Monday (3 March), Dwayne Johnson said that Disney is working on a live-action adaptation of the 2016 smash Moana. The announcement was made via a prerecorded message concerning Disney’s annual shareholder meeting, which was presided over by CEO Bob Iger in Hawaii.
Johnson, who provided the voice of the god Maui in the first movie, will produce the live-action version alongside Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Beau Flynn through their Seven Bucks Productions and Flynn Picture Co. Auli’i Cravalho, the original Moana voice actor, and Scott Sheldon of Flynn Film Co. will serve as executive producers.
In addition, Samoan industry veteran Dana Ledoux Miller and the original film’s author Jared Bush also well-known for his work on the Disney movies Encanto and Zootopia—will participate in the production. However, it is not yet known in what capacity.
Sean Bailey, president of motion picture production at Walt Disney Studios, announced that Moana had joined the list of live-action movies based on the Disney animated series. The Little Mermaid will debut on May 26, joining previous works like Aladdin from 2019 and Beauty and the Beast from 2017. He said:
“It’s still early. But the idea of working with these fantastic partners to tell such a meaningful story on a live-action canvas, particularly as we celebrate 100 years of storytelling at Disney, is thrilling.”
Upon its November 2016 release, the first Moana starred a young Pacific Islander by the same name who set out into the ocean with Maui to set things right after Maui unintentionally released an ancient curse. The film earned nearly $644 million worldwide and received two Oscar nominations among its many other honors.
The live-action version, like its animated predecessor, will honor the cultures, islands, and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the perspective of a young woman ready to forge her path. Johnson, who plans to return to the fictional world to set sail with Moana, said (according to BBC):
“I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen. This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.”
He added (as reported by Yahoo):
“I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people.”
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Cravalho noted in a statement of her own that the character of Moana:
“has had such a profound impact on how we think of Disney princesses. Moana’s strength and perseverance are inspiring — to audiences around the world, to me and to everyone who helped bring her to life. I’m looking forward to sharing her story in a whole new way.”
The announcement can be viewed below:
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