Dwayne Johnson’s Maui Debuts His Singing Voice In New Live-Action Moana Footage

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Moana has proven she’ll go far, and the live-action is planning on doing the same.

A live-action version of Disney’s popular films, Moana and Moana 2, is generating a lot of excitement. A recent trailer showed that some of the original voice actors will now appear on screen. The first Moana film, released in 2016, was a huge hit, earning over $687 million globally and receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Moana 2 was also incredibly successful, bringing in over $1.5 billion worldwide.

During CinemaCon, Disney shared additional scenes from Moana, and revealed Dwayne Johnson singing as Maui for the first time. Johnson performed the popular song “You’re Welcome” while dressed in his full Maui costume. He also discussed his views on healthy relationships and what it means to be masculine.

I see Moana as a true hero and a strong warrior. As a man, I believe it’s important to support and uplift women, and that’s exactly what our connection—my relationship with Moana—is all about.

Dwayne Johnson shared the deeply personal inspiration behind his connection to the character of Maui, whom he’s voiced for a decade. He explained that he based the demigod on his grandfather, saying, “Every word and lyric Maui sings comes from my grandfather.” While photos of Maui’s wig from the upcoming live-action film have been circulating and drawing comments, Johnson didn’t respond to the jokes about it.

Disney frequently creates live-action versions of its animated classics, but these aren’t always successful. The upcoming Snow White remake, slated for 2025, is projected to have lost $170 million, but some remakes have been huge hits. The Lion King earned over $1.6 billion worldwide, and Aladdin brought in over $1 billion.

I’m really excited about the live-action Moana remake! Dwayne Johnson will be in it, of course, and they’ve cast Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana, which is fantastic. John Tui will play Chief Tui, and Frankie Adams is taking on the role of Sina, Moana’s mom. Rena Owen is also joining the cast as Gramma Tala, which is perfect casting! The whole thing is being directed by Thomas Kail, who you might know from Hamilton – a seriously talented guy. And it’s especially cool that Auli’i Cravalho, the original voice of Moana, is involved as an executive producer. It feels like they’re really honoring the original while bringing something new to the story.

You can now watch the original animated movie Moana on Disney+. Plus, a live-action version of Moana is coming to theaters on July 10th.

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2026-04-17 02:18