Moana Live-Action Cast: Laga'aia Debuts, Johnson Returns
SkimNews Take
Disney kept the original's supporting voices but cast a 19-year-old newcomer as the lead — the swap reveals that for a live-action adaptation, on-screen physicality outweighs vocal recognition for the title role.
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- Disney's live-action 'Moana' remake opens in theaters July 10, retelling Moana's voyage to restore the heart of Te Fiti and save her village of Motunui
- Catherine Laga'aia, a 19-year-old Sydney-born newcomer making her film debut, takes the title role from original voice Auli'i Cravalho after previously appearing in three episodes of 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart'
- Dwayne Johnson reprises his role as shapeshifting demigod Maui, promising a new rendition of 'You're Welcome'
- Jemaine Clement returns as the CGI-rendered, jewel-encrusted crab Tamatoa to reprise the song 'Shiny'
- Rena Owen, John Tui, and Frankie Adams step into the family roles of Gramma Tala, Chief Tui, and Sina, replacing the original's Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, and Nicole Scherzinger
- Pua and Heihei are brought back through a mix of real animals and animatronics, with the original Pua voiced using sound effects from Frank Welker
Why it matters: Disney slots a Polynesian-set live-action remake into its July 10 release calendar a decade after the original animated hit, betting that 19-year-old debut star Laga'aia can carry a $1B-grossing property's goodwill — her father Jay Lagaʻaia already appeared in the Star Wars prequels she now shares a franchise-adjacent world with. For Johnson, the role is a return to one of his most commercially reliable parts after an awards-season detour in Benny Safdie's 'The Smashing Machine.'
