Disney Says Live-Action Moana Failed Because Of Moana 2's Release Date

04 Oct 2026, 13:46 · BC

Posted in: Disney, Movies | Tagged: moana, moana 2

Disney Says Live-Action Moana Failed Because Of Moana 2's Release Date

The Disney president and chief creative officer says one reason the live-action remake of Moana failed was its "proximity to our second animated version of Moana."

Published Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:46:09 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary

Disney says the live-action Moana struggled at the box office because it opened too soon after Moana 2.
Dana Walden argued the 18-month gap between Moana 2 and Moana limited audience demand for another film.
The live-action Moana earned just over $320 million worldwide, far below expectations for its reported budget.
Disney appears to be blaming timing instead of wider fatigue around live-action remakes as more projects move ahead.

When the box office numbers for Moana 2 started rolling in, it was clear that fans of the first film were not only still present but also hungry for more. The film grossed over a billion dollars, even though it was a stitch job of various scenes from a scrapped TV show. There were some moments where that was more apparent than others, but in general, people really liked the sequel. However, Disney likely saw that success and thought that meant the live-action remake was going to be just as embraced by fans. If they ran out to theaters for this hack job sequel, surely that means the remake with a massive budget of a reported $250 million would be even bigger. However, it was clear that Disney was not in tune with the fans, as the mere idea of a Moana remake did not seem to excite anyone. It felt far too soon, and the lukewarm reception to the early footage didn't help.

JOURNEY TO THE FAR SEAS — In Walt Disney Animation Studios' all-new feature film "Moana 2," Moana (voice of Auli'i Cravalho) must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced. Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, "Moana 2" features music by Grammy® winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa'i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina. The all-new feature film opens in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024. © 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MAUI RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN – Walt Disney Animation Studios' all-new feature film "Moana 2" reunites Moana with Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) three years later for an expansive new voyage to the far seas of Oceania. Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, and produced by Christina Chen and Yvett Merino, "Moana 2" features music by Grammy® winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa'i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina. The all-new feature film opens in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024. © 2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Well, Disney fans and the public in general spoke with their wallets and did not show up for the Moana live-action remake, which grossed just over $320 million at the box office. That is not enough, considering the size of the marketing budget and everything else. Now, granted, Disney has a massive merchandise line that can help ease the sting of a box-office flop, but it sounds like Disney didn't learn the right lesson here. Instead of recognizing that the audience for live-action remakes continues to dwindle, with movies like Lilo & Stitch becoming the exception rather than the rule, they see it as a release-date issue. Disney president and chief creative officer Dana Walden explained during her Bloomberg's Screentime (via Variety) that the eighteen months between Moana 2 and the live-action movie hurt it, while also not acknowledging the critical mauling the film also received.

"It's so competitive right now that you have to have … the right film at the right time, with audiences feeling a certain degree of demand. I would say our live-action 'Moana,' which is excellent, I think it was hurt by the proximity to our second animated version of 'Moana,' which came together under unusual circumstances, but premiered about 18 months before this one. So perhaps there was not enough time to create a lot of pent-up demand for another film."

A sequel to Lilo & Stitch is in the works, Tangled will be here before we know it, and a new Sleeping Beauty film was just announced last month from director Dan Trachtenberg. For a minute there, after the release of Disney's Snow White and its underperformance, it seemed like most of the live-action remakes were being canceled or put on hold. Moana was too far along, and Lilo & Stitch was ready to hit the screens, but for a second there, it seemed like they were done with all of these. However, that doesn't appear to be the case anymore, and now Disney is looking in the wrong direction for why one of the movies they likely thought was a sure thing for summer 2026 barely made a blip.

Moana: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

In Disney's live-action reimagining of the beloved Oscar®-nominated animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia) answers the Ocean's call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people. The film is directed by Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Thomas Kail (Hamilton); produced by Dwayne Johnson, Beau Flynn, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Thomas Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth, and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated features Moana and Moana 2. Audiences can experience the brilliant cinematic sights, sounds, and songs of "Moana" in U.S. theaters on July 10, 2026.

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