At last year’s Annual Shareholder Meeting, Disney announced it was going to be creating a new live-action version of one of their most popular modern animated film, “Moana”.

This new live-action reimagining of “Moana” will celebrate the islands, communities, and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to pave her own path. Moana’s journey of self-discovery and reflection on the lives of her ancestors won hearts worldwide, as did her newfound friendship with an exiled demigod named Maui.

Originally, the film had been scheduled to arrive in cinemas on June 27th 2025, however, Disney revealed today that the film has been delayed over a year and will now arrive in cinemas on July 10th 2026.

It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to see the film delayed, since later this year, “Moana 2” is going to be hitting cinemas for Thanksgiving.  This animated movie was originally going to be a Disney+ series, but is being reformated for a theatrical release. 

So the year’s delay will give “Moana” fans a bit of a breather. Had it stuck to its original release date, they would have had two “Moana” movies released within barely six months of one another.

Dwayne Johnson will be returning to play the demi-god Maui in the live-action version.  However, Auli‘i Cravalho won’t be returning to play “Moana” because she’ll be too old to play a teenage girl, though she is returning to provide the voice for the upcoming animated sequel.

In the new animated sequel, which is set three years after her first voyage, Moana is on an expansive journey in search of people beyond the shores of Motunui.  She is being joined once again by Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.

Production on the new live-action version of “Moana” is set to begin later this year and will be produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn via Flynn Picture Co. Executive producers include Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced in the original film, “Moana”, and Scott Sheldon of Flynn Picture Co. Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller (who is of Samoan heritage) will also take part in the live-action production. Bush, who was a director and co-writer of Disney’s Oscar-winning film “Encanto” and a writer and co-director on Disney’s Oscar-winning “Zootopia”, wrote the screenplay for the original animated film. 

While we wait for the new live-action version of “Moana”, you can still watch the original animated classic on Disney+ now.

What do you think of the live-action version of “Moana” being delayed?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

View all posts