Summary
Dwayne Johnson’s star power and physical resemblance to Maui make him an obvious choice for the live-action Moana remake.
Original Moana actors like Auli’i Cravalho aged out of their roles, leading to recasting decisions for the remake.
Despite several announced recastings, other original Moana actors could have reprised their roles for the live-action remake.
Dwayne Johnson is the only actor currently set to appear the live-action Moana remake, and there are a few reasons why no one else from the original movie’s cast is returning. Johnson played Maui, the shape shifter and demigod of the wind and sea, in the original Moana in 2016. He was a fan-favorite both for Maui as a character and for the song “You’re Welcome,” which garnered over 1.6 billion views on YouTube. Johnson’s role in Moana was hugely popular, which made him an obvious choice to reprise his role for the live-action remake.
Maui’s popularity doesn’t explain why other voice actors didn’t make it into the cast of the Moana remake, though. Disney’s live-action remakes often recast characters, but that’s usually due to the time between the original and the remake, and to find actors who better represent their characters. Moana doesn’t have those same problems, though. Most of its original cast was already made up of actors of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, and the remake only comes 10 years after the original first released. That makes it a bit confusing that only Dwayne Johnson got to reprise his role.
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Moana’s Live-Action Remake Needs Dwayne Johnson’s Star Power
Johnson was likely chosen to reprise his role as Maui because he’ll be able to lend quite a bit of his celebrity status and star-power to the Moana remake. He’s been in some massive movies, from the Fast & Furious franchise to successful films like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and The Mummy Returns. Johnson has also been a fairly consistent box office draw for the better part of two decades. His popularity has dipped recently, with films like Black Adam that failed to find a wide following, but he’s still a household name. Moana could even break Johnson’s box office drought.
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Part of Disney’s decision to keep Johnson for the live-action Moana, aside from his box office earnings, was likely because of how well he fits the character of Maui. In real life, Johnson looks just like Maui, albeit without the same hair. Aside from Jason Momoa, there’s really no other actor who could both match Maui’s appearance and lend Johnson’s level of popularity as an actor to the movie. Johnson also had an advantage over Momoa from the start, as he’d already played Maui before, and audiences would recognize his voice from the original Moana.
Auli’i Cravalho Aged Out Of Playing Moana In Live-Action
One of the other most original Moana voice actors who seemed likely to return was Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the titular Moana. Cravalho’s voice was a central part of Moana’s character, and her stellar performance really brought Moana to life. Cravalho is even returning to the role for the upcoming Moana 2, so she seemed like a natural choice for the remake. She’s even made a name for herself outside of animation, as she played Janis in the Mean Girls musical. That wasn’t enough to land her a part in the Moana remake, though, but there is a good reason for that.
Probably the biggest reason Cravalho wasn’t chosen to reprise her role of Moana in live-action is because she aged out of it. The original Moana came out on November 23, 2016, a day after Cravalho turned 16. Now, however, eight years have passed, Cravalho is 23 years old, and she’s too mature to convincingly play a young teenager. Moana’s age is a central part of her story, as her teenage rebellion contributed to her decision to leave Motunui. To keep that part of the story intact, the Moana remake gave the role to Catherine Laga’aia, a 17-year-old actor.
Moana Could Have Brought Other Actors Back Like Dwayne Johnson
While Cravalho has aged out of her role, other actors from the original Moana haven’t, and they could have been recast for the live-action version. Temuera Morrison, for example, would have been a perfect pick. He played Chief Tui, Moana’s father and leader of Motunui, in the original Moana. Morrison has obviously aged since 2016 (he’s now 63 years old), but since his character is already depicted as being a long-established leader, his age isn’t nearly as important as Moana’s is. Nicole Scherzinger, who played Moana’s mother Sina, also could have been recast, and she’s even younger than Morrison, at just 45 years old.
Interestingly, Rachel House also could reprise her role as Gramma Tala, but she faces the opposite problem of Morrison and Scherzinger. At just 52 years old, House might be too young to play Gramma Tala in live-action.
Both Morrison and Scherzinger would have kept some of the original Moana’s voice talent in the live-action remake, but they were both recast instead. John Tui will now be playing the role of Chief Tui, and Frankie Adams has been cast as Sina. Tui and Adams are both younger than Morrison and Scherzinger, at 49 and 30 years old, respectively, which could help the Moana remake appeal to younger audiences with younger parents. Tui and Adams also bring some considerable talents to their roles, and while Disney could have gone with more original voice actors, the new live-action actors will likely be just as good.
Which Other Moana Cast Members Could Return For The Live-Action Remake
Aside from the central characters of Moana, there are still some roles that haven’t been filled yet that could easily go to their original voice actors. One of the problems that prevented Cravalho, Morrison, and Scherzinger from reprising their roles was the fact that they wouldn’t necessarily match up with the ages of their Moana characters. There are several characters in Moana, though, where that wouldn’t be an issue. The remake will be live-action, but some characters, like Heihei and Tamatoa, would likely still be recreated in CGI, meaning they would only need voices.
Since their characters wouldn’t require them to fit a specific appearance, the voice actors for Heihei and Tamatoa, Jemaine Clement and Alan Tudyk, could still reprise their roles. Their voices would make the remake closer to the original Moana, and they could give even more impressive performances in the same roles. Additionally, there’s one other actor who could easily take another role in Moana: Lin-Manuel Miranda. He mostly worked on Moana as a singer and songwriter, but he also provided his voice for some minor characters, and Miranda could get a role in the remake.
Original Moana Actors Who Could Reprise Their Roles
Actors
Role
Alan Tudyk
Heihei
Jemaine Clement
Tamatoa
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Additional Voices
Oscar Knightley
Fisherman
Troy Polamalu
Villager
Puanani Cravalho
Villager
There are a few reasons Dwayne Johnson is the only actor currently returning for the live action Moana remake, but that doesn’t mean he has to be the only one. As previously mentioned, there are a few characters who wouldn’t require their actors to look a certain way. There’s also a distinct possibility that some of the original Moana’s actors could return for cameo appearances in different roles. Even if they don’t appear in the Moana remake, though, those actors’ contributions to Moana’s story won’t soon be forgotten.
Moana
Disney’s Moana takes place in ancient Polynesia, and tells the story of the titular princess. The daughter of a tribe chief in a coastal village, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) is drawn to the sea, believing it is her quest to return the Heart of Te Fiti – a mysterious relic – to its rightful home in order to stop the blight threatening her island. Along the way, she meets the trickster demi-god, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who helps her on her quest.
Director Ron Clements , John Musker
Release Date November 23, 2016
Studio(s) Walt Disney Pictures , Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Writers Pamela Ribon , John Musker , Ron Clements , Taika Waititi
Runtime 107 Minutes
Budget $150–175 million
Main Genre Adventure
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