Hey Disney! You Should've Made a Live-Action MOANA 3 Instead of a Remake of the Original Film

Disney's live-action Moana is struggling at the box office, and the disappointing debut has sparked plenty of conversations about whether audiences are finally getting tired of Disney's live-action remake strategy. Personally, I don't think that's the real issue. I think Disney simply made the wrong movie.

The more I've thought about it over the last few days, the more convinced I've become that there was a far more exciting path forward.

In fact, I think Disney had an opportunity to do something no major studio has ever really attempted with one of its biggest animated franchises. Instead of remaking the original Moana, they should've made Moana 3... in live action1

One of the biggest complaints surrounding the live-action Moana is that audiences already knew exactly what they were getting. Even though the movie recreated the original with impressive visuals and featured Dwayne Johnson returning as Maui, it was still telling a story fans had already experienced.

The animated film remains one of the most watched movies on Disney+, and Moana 2 only arrived a couple of years ago. There simply wasn't much curiosity surrounding another trip through the same adventure.

A live-action sequel would've completely changed that. Instead of asking audiences to watch a familiar story again, Disney could've invited them into an entirely new chapter of Moana's journey.

The marketing alone would've generated genuine excitement because nobody would've known where the story was headed. Fans wouldn't have been comparing scenes to the animated movie frame by frame. They would've been speculating about new islands, new villains, new mythology, and the next stage of Moana's life as a wayfinder.

That feels like an event. It's not like this would be new territory for Disney. A good example of this is how the animated series Star Wars Rebels continued its story in live action form with the Ahsoka series.

Taking a hugely successful animated franchise and continuing the story in live action instead of remaking the original or going the animation route… that's a fascinating creative swing.

The beauty of that approach is that it respects what came before instead of trying to replace it. The animated films would still stand as their own stories, while the live-action movie would become the next chapter.

Fans wouldn't be debating whether the remake lived up to the original because there wouldn't be a remake to compare it to. The conversation would be entirely focused on the story what happens next.

That's a much healthier place for a franchise to be. Disney had already proven that audiences wanted more Moana. Moana 2 crossed the billion-dollar mark worldwide, merchandise continues to fly off shelves, and the music from the franchise has been streamed billions of times. None of those numbers suggest people are tired of Moana. If anything, they show the exact opposite.

The problem wasn't making another Moana movie. The problem was asking audiences to buy tickets for a story they already owned.

Imagine how different the reveal could've been. A teaser opens on the ocean years after the events of Moana 2. Moana is slightly older and more experienced, leading a new generation of voyagers.

Maui returns because an ancient threat has emerged from beyond the known seas, something even he doesn't fully understand. The music builds, new creatures appear, mysterious islands are introduced, and then it’s reveaed to be a live-action Moana sequel.

I honestly think fans would've completely lost their minds. The internet would've exploded with wild excitement, theories, and talk about this crazy move Disney made with the franchise.

That's the kind of anticipation studios spend years trying to create. It also would've solved one of the biggest issues facing Disney's live-action remakes today.

As analyst Jeff Bock recently put it, "Disney’s strategy is dependent on whether audiences see the remake as an event or a duplicate. This was the latter. People wanted ‘Moana 3,’ not a remake of the original."

I think that observation is spot on, but I'd even push the idea a little further. I don't think audiences just wanted Moana 3. I think they would've embraced the idea of Moana 3 being made in live action because it would've felt like a natural evolution instead of a creative reset.

It would've been familiar enough to bring existing fans into theaters while offering something completely new at the same time.

Of course, pulling something like this off wouldn't have been easy. The story would've needed to justify the transition into live action. It would've required a filmmaker willing to embrace the strengths of live action while honoring everything audiences loved about the animated movies.

But that's exactly what would've made the project exciting. But, no one at Disney probably even thought of that. Instead, Disney chose the safer route, and ironically, it may have turned out to be the riskier decision.

When audiences feel like they've already seen the movie, convincing them to leave the couch becomes much harder, especially when the original version is already waiting on Disney+.

I also think this approach could've opened the door for something much bigger. If it had worked, Disney would've established an entirely new way to grow its animated franchises. Rather than chasing nostalgia, Disney could build excitement around expanding these worlds in ways animation and live action complement each other.

That feels far more creative than hitting the reset button every ten years. Maybe I'm wrong. But after watching audiences largely shrug at a movie that recreated a story they already loved, I can't shake the feeling that Disney passed on the far more interesting idea.

Instead of asking us to relive an adventure we'd already taken, they could've invited us on a brand-new voyage.

For me, that's the movie that would've felt unmissable, and I honestly believe the box office conversation today would've been very different if Disney had been willing to take that chance.