Credit: Disney
Disney Accused Of Being ‘Racist’ As People Urged To Boycott Live-Action Moana
Disney‘s live-action Moana has officially arrived in cinemas, but one controversy surrounding the remake refuses to disappear.
Long before critics shared their verdicts, social media was flooded with accusations that Disney had ‘whitewashed’ one of its most beloved modern princesses, with some viewers even calling for a boycott of the film.
Now, as Moana opens worldwide and the first wave of reviews and audience reactions pours in, that debate has been reignited all over again.
While some fans are praising newcomer Catherine Laga’aia’s performance and celebrating the film’s Polynesian cast, others believe Disney made changes that stripped away some of the character’s most iconic features, and critics have since added another major complaint of their own.
Fans accused Disney of ‘whitewashing’ Moana
When Disney released the first trailer for the live-action remake earlier this year, one detail immediately dominated online conversation.
The film stars Australian actress Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, while Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson returns to play Maui after voicing the beloved demigod in the 2016 animated classic.
Although much of the casting was praised for featuring Polynesian actors, many viewers claimed Disney had altered Moana’s appearance unnecessarily.
The biggest talking point quickly became her hair.
In the original animated film, Moana is famous for her thick, voluminous curls that bounce and move throughout her adventure across the Pacific Ocean.
But in the live-action footage, many fans argued that her hair appeared noticeably straighter and flatter.
Some claimed the styling amounted to whitewashing.
One viewer wrote on X: “Making her have straight hair even though the OG hair of the actor is just like Moana’s is incredibly f***ing racist.”
Another said: “This looks awful and they whitewashed Moana.”
A third posted: “So not only Disney got an actress who has lighter skin than animated Moana, they also straightened her hair because I guess they didn’t think they whitewashed her character enough.”
Many also pointed out that Catherine Laga’aia’s natural hair, seen in interviews and promotional appearances, appears much closer to the animated Moana’s signature curls.
Others questioned why Disney would change it at all.
Others say the backlash has gone too far
Not everyone agreed with the criticism.
Many viewers defended both Disney and Laga’aia, arguing that Polynesian people naturally have a wide range of hair textures.
One X user responded: “Polynesians have straight hair too.”
Another wrote: “Now woke weirdos are slamming Disney just for Moana’s hair being straight and not curled. You can’t make this stuff up!”
Others stressed that criticism should not be directed at the young actress herself, noting that hairstyle decisions ultimately rest with filmmakers rather than performers.
The debate also prompted renewed discussion about Disney’s work on the original animated movie.
According to Walt Disney Animation Studios, the 2016 film required entirely new animation technology to accurately recreate Moana’s distinctive curly hair because of how heavily it interacted with water, wind and movement throughout the story.
The studio previously explained that Moana “featured characters with long curly hair interacting heavily with both the characters and their environment,” requiring significant advances in its animation pipeline.
The conversation has now shifted
Since the film’s theatrical release, however, the conversation has evolved beyond Moana’s appearance.
Early reviews suggest many critics feel the remake simply arrived too soon.
The Guardian awarded the film two stars, describing it as a ‘dull live-action remake’ and arguing that Dwayne Johnson appears to be on ‘autopilot,’ while questioning whether the film needed to exist at all.
The Associated Press was similarly critical, calling the remake ‘a lifeless carbon copy of an animated classic’ and arguing that much of the original’s charm had been lost in translation to live action.
Rotten Tomatoes’ review roundup found that one of the biggest criticisms repeated across reviews was that Disney had stayed almost too faithful to the original, leaving audiences with very few surprises despite the new format.
As of July 10, the film holds a critics’ score of around 35% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Even Maui became a viral talking point
Moana wasn’t the only character sparking discussion.
Dwayne Johnson’s return as Maui has become the source of countless memes online after audiences fixated on the elaborate wig used to recreate the demigod’s famous flowing hair.
The Guardian reported that social media quickly filled with jokes about Johnson’s hairstyle, with many viewers calling it distracting and unrealistic.
Interestingly, Disney almost took a completely different approach.
Speaking this week, Lin-Manuel Miranda revealed that Maui was originally designed to be bald during production of the animated film because artists initially based him more closely on Johnson himself, per the Guardian.
However, Disney’s Polynesian cultural advisers objected, explaining that Maui’s long hair carries important spiritual significance and represents his ‘mana.’
The design was subsequently changed, giving audiences the long-haired Maui they know today, and explaining why Johnson now wears the controversial wig in the live-action version.
Fans remain divided after seeing the finished film
Early audience reactions have been every bit as mixed as the critics’ reviews.
Across Reddit and social media, many viewers said the remake felt too similar to the original.
One person wrote: “They brought absolutely nothing new to it. It was an exact reproduction of the original, but somehow with less charm and heart and emotion.”
Another commented: “It felt like content, and that is not a compliment.”
Others criticised Disney’s continued reliance on live-action remakes altogether.
One viewer wrote: “I’m tired, boss.”
Another added: “Let’s make a live action movie no one asked for that’s also full of CGI!”
Still, not everyone walked away disappointed.
Some audience members praised Catherine Laga’aia’s performance, with one Disney fan writing after an early screening: “I honestly thought it was great.”
Another said: “Yes it’s pretty much shot-for-shot… but I still had a great time watching it on the big screen.”
What is Moana about?
The remake closely follows the story of Disney’s hugely successful 2016 animated film.
It follows Moana, the adventurous daughter of Chief Tui, who answers the ocean’s call and sails beyond the reef surrounding her island of Motunui in a bid to restore the heart of the goddess Te Fiti.
Along the way she reluctantly teams up with the boastful demigod Maui, embarking on a dangerous journey filled with monsters, mythical creatures and ancient magic.
The live-action adaptation stars Catherine Laga’aia, Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui and Frankie Adams.
Original Moana actress Auli’i Cravalho also returns behind the scenes as an executive producer, while many of the beloved songs from the original return thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina.
Whether audiences embrace Disney’s latest remake remains to be seen, but one thing is already clear: nearly a decade after the original became a global phenomenon, Moana is still inspiring passionate debate.
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