Disney fans have come out in the thousands to slam the brand as “creatively bankrupt” after the official Moana live-action trailer was mistaken for “AI fake”.
The first-look shows glimpses of Catherine LagaÊ»aia (daughter of New Zealand-Australian actor Jay Laga’aia) as Moana, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as demigod Maui and already has 6.2 million views.
Thousands of fans took to the comment section slamming the Disney project as “unnecessary” and “beyond ridiculous”.
The Moana live-action remake will come 10 years after the original animated Moana film became a worldwide box office hit, and only 18 months after Moana 2.
Many fans thought it was entirely too soon and accused Disney of being “desperate” and “milking the brand” to make more money.
“Moana getting a live action remake just almost TEN YEARS after the original is beyond ridiculous. I feel like they should have waited another 5 years or more to remake this 2016 film,” one outraged viewer wrote.
Another said: “Never expected a live action remake THIS early.”
Catherine Lagaʻaia and Dwayne Johnson will star in the 2026 Moana remake. (Supplied / Getty Images for Disney )
Others criticised how CGI-heavy and low quality the trailer was with many confusing it as an AI fake.
“Saw this on Facebook thinking it was one of those fake fan edit trailers. Came here and SHOCKED to learn it’s the actual thing,” one complained.
Another made the same mistake: “When I first saw this reposted by somebody online, I thought it was AI generated. Turns out I was wrong.”
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Fans were unimpressed by the CGI and processed imagery, many mistook it for an AI fake. (Disney)
The complaints continued to roll in heavy with viewers saying “Disney feels officially creatively bankrupt at this point”.
A final fan summed up everyone’s feelings, saying: “Another live action remake no one asked for.”
Viewers slammed Disney as ‘creatively bankrupt’ saying nine years was far too soon for a remake. (Disney)
Disney’s Moana remake is due to hit cinemas on July 9, 2026. It will be the latest in a line-up of Disney live-action adaptations that have had varying degrees of success.
Despite poor critical reviews, Disney’s 2019 take on The Lion King still stands as the most commercially successful remake, ranking as the 11th highest-grossing film of all time.
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