‘Moana’ Live Action Ending Explained – How the Remake Handles That Emotional Finale
Disney’s live-action era has been rolling for years now, remaking one animated classic after another with real actors and heavy visual effects. The latest addition to that lineup lands this week with a new take on ‘Moana‘, a film that spent a decade as one of the studio’s most beloved modern classics before getting the remake treatment.
Directed by Thomas Kail in his feature directorial debut, the new ‘Moana’ stars Catherine Laga’aia in her first major film role as the title character, alongside Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui after voicing the demigod in the original animated version. The film hit theaters nationwide on July 10, following a screenplay credited to original writer Jared Bush, along with ‘Moana 2’ writer Dana Ledoux Miller.
For anyone wondering whether the remake changes how the story wraps up, the answer is a firm no. Multiple reviews confirm that the ending twist involving Te Ka’s true identity remains entirely intact, with the film following the same emotional climax that made the 2016 original such a hit.
That climax sees Moana finally confronting Te Ka, the towering fire demon blocking her path to Te Fiti’s island. Rather than fighting through the creature, Moana recognizes that Te Ka and Te Fiti are actually the same being, with the goddess’s stolen heart having twisted her into a figure of rage and destruction. Moana calms Te Ka long enough to return the heart, restoring Te Fiti and healing the land in the process.
Critics reviewing the new version have noted that this sequence was left almost entirely untouched in the jump to live action. One review pointed out that the giant fire demon Te Ka looks virtually identical to its animated counterpart, calling the choice to leave the character mostly unchanged the right call given how central that reveal is to the story. The explosion of island greenery that follows Te Fiti’s restoration was also carried over largely as is.
Where the remake does add something new is in its music. The signature songs from the original, including “You’re Welcome” and “How Far I’ll Go,” all return largely unchanged, with “How Far I’ll Go” now produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda. A brand new track titled “Along the Way,” featuring Johnson, Laga’aia, and original Moana voice actress Auli’i Cravalho, plays during the end credits rather than being woven into the film itself, a choice that several reviewers found to be a missed opportunity given the talent involved.
Beyond the music, most of what makes this version distinct comes down to performance rather than plot changes. Johnson has reportedly leaned into a more grounded, human portrayal of Maui this time around, focusing on the character’s backstory of parental rejection rather than his larger-than-life ego, with reviewers pointing to the scene where he opens up to Moana about his past as one of the film’s strongest emotional beats.
Reaction to the remake as a whole has been decidedly mixed, and in many cases more critical than supportive. Several outlets have described the film as a scene-for-scene, line-for-line recreation of the animated version, arguing that its unwillingness to diverge from the original makes it feel unnecessary, given that the 2016 film remains readily available to stream. Others have been more forgiving, praising Laga’aia’s screen debut and calling the film one of the more successful entries in Disney’s ongoing string of live-action remakes, even while acknowledging that the bar remains fairly low.
What does seem to be true across the board is that fans looking for a twist on the story’s resolution will not find one here. The heart of Te Fiti still gets returned, Te Ka still transforms back into the nurturing island goddess, and Moana still proves that leadership is as much about compassion as it is about courage. For a remake built around faithfully recreating a modern classic, sticking to that winning formula appears to have been the whole point.
Should the live-action Moana have changed the ending?
Whether you see that faithfulness as a strength or a missed opportunity likely depends on how you feel about the original ‘Moana’ in the first place, and it is shaping up to be one of the more divisive talking points among fans heading into opening weekend.
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