Pop Culture Happy Hour - Moana and What’s Making Us Happy

Episode Date: July 10, 2026

Moana is back in Disney’s new sort-of-live-action remake, but how far does it go from the original? Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui, appearing in the flesh this time around. Catherine Laga'aia plays Moana, who sets out to save her island, along with her chicken. The film features a new song from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote songs for the original animated film. Craving more live action Disney remakes? Check out these episodes:'Lilo & Stitch' brings its fuzzy agent of chaos to the real world'The Little Mermaid' takes the uncanny valley under the seaConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The animated Disney feature Moana was a blockbuster with an enduring soundtrack full of songs by Lynn Manuel Miranda. Now, less than 10 years later, Disney is already giving it a sort of live-action remake. Dwayne the Rock Johnson returns to his role as the demigod Maui and appears in the flesh this time around. I'm Stephen Thompson. Joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is Ronald Young Jr. He's the host of the film and television review podcast, Leaving the Theater. Hello, Stephen. Good to have you. Also with us is Nikki Birch. She's a video producer for NPR music and visuals, and also a co-host of the podcast, A Thousand Eyes and One. Welcome back, Nikki. Hey. It is great to have you both. So the plot of Moana should be fresh in the minds of anyone who's seen it in the last decade, which is to say everyone who has ever seen Moana. It's the story of a brave girl who ventures out beyond her home in the hopes of restoring balance to her island.

ecosystem. Here, Moana is played by Catherine Lungay. The story beats and plot points are repeated pretty much verbatim, albeit with a new Lin-Manuel Miranda song over the closing credits. Moana is in theaters now. Nikki Birch, I'm going to start with you. What'd you think? Juana is one of my favorite Disney movies over the last 15 years, and I was really, really excited to see it. Like you said, like scene for scene, it's almost exactly the same.

And yeah, I didn't expect to get emotional because I haven't seen it since my grandmother passed. And there was a lot of like, oh, grandmother feels are big. This one and Coco both hit the grandmother feels. Yeah. So I'm really excited about this live action, also because I'm skeptical of live action adaptations. But I was not disappointed. This one worked for you? This one worked for me.

All right. How about you, Ronald? You know, this movie really didn't do anything glaringly wrong with one exception. and it's all going to be about Duane Johnson and his hair, which I'm sure we'll get into. Lace front failure. 100%.

Very Tyler Perry-esque Wick situation going on in here. Yeah, I'm just, I'm going straight at. But no, I feel like, like Nikki said, the first maybe 30 minutes of the movie, I was enchanted away. I felt as good as I felt when I was watching the live action Lilo and Stitch,

which I did not expect to like, but I really liked. And this one, the first 30 minutes, I'm locked in. This is very good. Up until the part where Moana goes out to see. As a matter of fact, if they would have ended the movie right there, I would have been in a puddle of tears. Oh, my goodness.

It'd just be like, watch the rest animated, you'll be fine. Have they ended the film without resolving anything? Everything fades to black and crumbles. All I'm saying is I would have trusted she would have figured it out because by the time she is leaving the island, I'm so emotional and I'm crying in my seat. It was really, really good. And then after that, it wasn't really the same for me.

It didn't hit the way the animated original hit for me. And I think a lot of it has to do with the ways in which the live action elements interact with the animated elements, which again, I'm sure we'll get into. But if you like Moana and I think Nikki, you're the prime example of this, you will likely like this movie as well. Yeah. Music's great. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I mean, this has got to be Lynn Manuel Moran.

his best film work. Like the original Moana songs are remarkable, and we'll get to the new song in a moment. I just want to say this. I didn't know that Lynn Manwell, or I forgot that he did the music, but I remember listening to this early on and being like, this sounds like Hamilton. Yeah. And then I was like, oh, oh, oh, that's why. Not that that's a problem.

Yeah, my friend's always like, Hamilton is theater kid rap. And I'm like, don't be mean. But also, that's exactly what it is. It's fine. Anyway. So, I mean, my initial reaction to this film, you know, was somewhat similar to my reaction to a lot of Disney kind of pseudo live action remakes, which is, man, they should make an animated version of this. You know, like, as somebody who loves animation thinks animation is a terrific vehicle for storytelling that allows you to kind of handwave past a lot of the boring parts of being a human being in the world. I don't understand, other than kind of wanting to refresh your IP and make a whole boatload of money, I don't really understand the artistic impetus for these constant remakes.

They're not really adding anything. So I sort of sat there through a lot of it, like, why are we doing this? I think this is very well made. Honestly, that's how I feel about all live adaptations of these Disney movies. I'm like, but we did it already. Right. Well, and this one, we did it less than 10 years ago. Yeah.

It was late 2016 when the first film came out. So I definitely had the like, why are we here in response to this film. But I will say, if we've decided that we're notionally open to these remakes, one data point that I am always going to look for is the difference in run times. Because I think sometimes what you get with these remakes is you're trying to recreate these animated spectacles, but using kind of live action mechanics. And what that sometimes does is it greatly slows down action scenes. It was actually one of my beefs, you know, I know Ronald, you said you loved the Lilo and Stitch remake, but the Lilo and Stitch remake is much longer.

It is. And one of the reasons for that is that, you know, when you're trying to duplicate these things, there's a little bit of a clunkiness to it and ends up adding quite a bit to the runtime. I think it is to this film's credit that it's only adding a few minutes to the runtime. And I think some of that is a byproduct of the fact that so many of these action scenes take place on water. And water does give you, no pun intended, a certain fluidity in action scenes where the action scenes still felt really quick and lively and well-paced. And I think it is to the credit of the director, Thomas Kale. This is his first feature. But he is the Broadway director who brought the world Hamilton and in the Heights, obviously has a relationship.

you know, working with Lynn Manuel Miranda. And I think he does a really, really nice job telling this story. For me, the issue is, why are we here? Right. This film is so recent. This film really did not have major flaws that needed to be addressed or reworked or rewritten. It's not like you're sitting there like, they really needed to take that pig off that boat. You know, you know, there wasn't anything about the first film that I thought.

really needed to be changed. The reason this film exists beyond refreshing IP and beyond making a boatload of money, or so they hope, is that if you're going to do a live action version, they wanted Dwayne the Rock Johnson, and he's only really going to be able to credibly play this part for a little while longer. Death comes for us all. Yeah, that's true. I thought that the pacing was really good. It's one of the things that caught my attention in the beginning. I was like, oh, man, please don't let us drag on with like extra backstory. I can't take it. Please. God, no. And they didn't. And I think that, to your point, a lot of the action scenes on the water, especially when it comes to Tefeiti, is like they didn't have to reinvent the wheel for that. It looked exactly like it did in the animated version. Like I said, originally, I think this is a fine movie. And when I say fine, I just, I think it's fine that it exists. All of the why am I here, all of the why am I here is kind of embedded in there. The comparison I make is to how to train your drag. A movie where I'm sitting in there watching it, wondering why I'm here because I just watched the original and the original still hits.

This Moana, the original still hits. So when I get here, I think about a movie like, let's say, Aladdin, where Robin Williams is dead, so obviously he can't play the genie. So they bring out Will Smith, which brings a whole new interpretation to the genie. And you can go back and forth to say whether that movie landed with folks or not. But you can say that they took it in a different direction. which is my biggest quibble with casting the Rock as Maui. Because when I was watching this, I remember thinking he is executing this role well

if I did not have to look at him. Oh my God. Wow. And I'm not saying that as an insult. This is not about how he looks. The point is when I'm looking at the rock in that hair with his prosthetics on, I am taken out of him being Maui.

When I was watching the animated version and it's Maui with the Rock's voice, I believe in Maui as a new character. Right. But when I'm looking at the rock and his face and he's supposed to be someone different, it just felt like the rock trying to be funny, which just wasn't working for me every time I saw him. Yeah. I liked that he leaned into just like how self-centered he was.

I thought that was really cute. And I don't know, ladies, if you'll disagree on me or not. But I wasn't mad seeing the rock with the prosthetics on. I was like, ooh, muscle body. Okay, okay, okay. And you know what I loved about that too? I thought, how are they going to keep the little tattoo Maui? And they did it.

Yeah, they did. They did. It was so cute. I think, Ronald, you bring up an interesting point, though. They clearly were at some sort of crossroads here, right? Where it's like, we can make this film too soon and get Dwayne the Rock Johnson in the party he was born to play. Or we can kind of do what they did with Aladdin, wait 15 or 20 more years, and get somebody else. to do it and change the story accordingly.

And to the extent, I did not find the Aladdin remake particularly compelling, but, like, to me, making the exact same movie, you know, for the benefit of, I guess, people who hate animation does not, for me, constitute a particularly compelling reason to be here. I didn't know that they were making a live action. And when I saw it, I was like, uh, you know what, no matter what, I'm going to go see it. And I think that because I love the story so much, I'm not mad that they didn't really stray from what was originally created. And I thought about as an opportunity to introduce younger audiences to a movie that older audiences already love. Like, I brought my nephew yesterday.

I mean, he loved it. He's seen the animated version. But I feel like he was a little bit more compelled by some of the stuff that he saw on screen this time. Interesting. Do the kids hate animation? I don't understand. They don't like that stuff. That's baffling to be.

Because the original's on streaming. Like, you know, if you have young kids and you have Disney Plus, your kid has probably seen the original Moana and does not need to be reintroduced to it like it's some sort of lost treasure. Yeah, I looked around the room and people seemed really happy. I think the stuff that they did nail, even though Hey, Hey, the rooster was really kind of weird looking sometimes was his slapstick. Like, I'm calling Donut. Donut laughed every time Hey Hey was on screen. And anytime you walked into the water, I was like pecking at stones, that's when he got the most laughs.

It does the exact same thing in the other movie. So it still works. I feel like that's one thing that gets me is like, and I understand the nature of the chicken doing what it's doing. It is slapstick and it is fun in the original and in the new one. But this is where I started to get confused. When I watched the air quote live action remake of The Lion King, one of my biggest beefs, one of my biggest Biggest beefs with that was that they were using photo realistic clients who I can't really get into them because their expressions aren't doing what I need them to do.

So it would have been better if they animated more to Stephen's point of saying, wow, this movie should have been animated. So then you talk about the Sonic movie and all of this backlash that comes when they make Sonic look more. Yeah, with his human teeth. So they make him look more animated. So I remember watching this and thinking, if y'all were going to make the chicken, around all of these normal people, these regular-looking people, you're going to make the chicken look more animated,

then doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of this being a live-action remake? I mean, I understand that, but I'm saying, like, in terms of if you're doing a remake and you're just only animating the chicken to still look as silly as it does in the animation, that at some point it only contributes more to them than why am I here? I can just turn this on on Disney Plus, and I don't really need to be in the theater for this.

You're here because the people want it. And also, you're welcome. I mean, I did have the same reaction to the extended scene with the crab where, like, you're watching an animated remake of an animated scene. Truly. With Jemaine Clement doing the voice in both. And so. I got to say, I love Shiny.

It's my favorite song. It is a great song. It's my favorite song. But yeah, it is the same with a little extra. Speaking of the songs, though, one of the few things that is added in this film, there is a new song Along the Way. Clearly, Oscar's eligible song playing over the closing credits.

It is a new Lin-Manuel Miranda Miranda song. Let's hear it. So what y'all think? Bet you it doesn't get nominated. I think it gets nominated. I thought it was catchy. I'll take a friendly way to a bit. I don't remember it. Honestly, I don't remember it. Agreed, Nikki. I remember the rock was rapping. I don't remember. That's

was not catchy enough for me to be singing it right now. I'll still sing how far I go. I sing it every time I go to the beach. I stand it. I walk into the water and I sing it at the top of my lungs no matter which beach I've had. Yeah, that hits. It did not, I mean, we're not talking. We don't talk about Bruno here, Stephen.

Like, sing the song to me, Stevie. You remember the lyrics? Yeah, I need to hear it. I cannot. But keep in mind. Give me melody. We've heard the song once. We just had our memories refreshed on like half a dozen of the catchiest.

movie songs of the 21st century, I think it had a very, very high bar to clear as far as, you know, being as good as other Moana songs. But I think being as good as other closing credit songs intended as Oscar grabs, I thought it was catchy. I'll give it a fair shake. If it gets Oscar nominated, Stephen, I will buy you a Funko Pop of your choice. I will put some skid in the game. I will take that wager. I want to bet now too. Yeah, I will take that wager offering nothing in return. That's fine with me. The thrill of being right is enough.

There's that. I mean, your welcome didn't disappoint me either. I think that donut got annoyed because I was poking him as I was singing it lyric for lyric. He was like, I was like, don't mess with Maui when he's on the breakaway. And he's looking at me like, please, Auntie Nick, will you stop? My aunt's being cringe again. Well, I think we can all agree.

The songs are still great. The story's still great. your mileage may vary on this new one. Up next, what's making us happy this week. Now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy this week? Nikki Birch, I'm going to start with you. What's making you happy this week, buddy?

Can I cheat and say I'm in anticipation of something that comes at the end of the month? Absolutely. You can be made happy by anything you want. Bleach, Thousand-Year Blood War, the final season. I went to the theaters because they released the first three episodes in theaters. And it was so good. And I've been watching Bleach since it came out. Tell me what this is because I...

Oh, so Bleach is an anime. Yeah, I thought you were talking about Clorox. I thought you were talking about Nirvana's first album. Oh, no. So Bleach is an anime that has been on for 20 plus years. I started watching it when I was in college because I would catch episodes late night on adult swim. And one day, I was like, what is this show? There are swords that have like personalities and superpowers.

And there's this guy Ichigo. Every time you think he's going to lose, he just gets stronger because he doesn't want to let his friends down and he wants to save the world. And the show finished and there was a huge gap. And then suddenly they announced that they were making the final arc. So I'm really excited to see what happens in the last season because now they say that this is actually the end. So Bleach Thousand Year Blood War is the thing that's making me happy this week and people can watch it on Hulu. Nice. Thank you, Nikki Birch, Ronald Young Jr. What's making you happy this week? All right. So I've been in a Love Island hole for a while just watching it.

You just, I mean, I got out of the NBA playoffs, immediately started watching Love Island. And, you know, you needed something that takes even longer. Yeah, I just had to, something else that I had to really commit to. So I've been watching Love Island. The NBA finals and a Love Island are both making me happy. But what happened next is really what's making me happy is I was looking for something else to watch, turned on HBO Max. And I see the new episodes of Rick and Morty. you're there. And so I'm sure that you think I'm up talking about Rick and Morty, but I'm not.

I watched those episodes of Rick and Morty and HBO recommends to me something that I did not know had happened this year, and I'm talking about regular show The Lost Tapes. I don't know if y'all know this, but they rebooted regular show. Regular show is back, and

there's a whole new season available right now to watch. Regular show is about two. Essentially, I would call them Stoner, like young 20-year-old. One is a j-bird and one is a raccoon. And they are in this kind of chaotic world where there are humans and animals

and anthropomorphic objects. And they are working at this park. And they are also slackers. So they always are getting into hijinks and shenanigans. It's a great show. And they started on Cartoon Network. And I watched all of them during the pandemic, really enjoyed it.

Then it was over. and I remember hearing rumors that it might come back, but I missed it completely, and it just was presented to me as a you might like because I had watched the entire original. And now I'm just so excited to have more regular show to watch. It's a great show, great palate cleanser. I would recommend it to most folks who just want something

to just enjoy and laugh a little bit at. That's what's making me happy right now. Regular show, The Lost Tapes. Oh, that just made me happy because it's, I think you might like it, Stephen. because it's very, it's very bingeable. It's very bingeable and like the situations in which they find themselves are always a little bit absurd. Completely absurd.

You're like, how did this happen and how does it keep getting worse? They can't be so anything. Worth watching. So that is regular show, The Lost Tapes on HBO Max. Thank you so much, Ronald Young Jr. What is making me happy this week is kind of a full circle moment. I started at NPR almost exactly 20 years ago. and when I first moved out to Washington, D.C., from Wisconsin,

one of the first things that made me feel alienated was that everyone was in the grips of World Cup fever. And my friends back home would be like, oh, how are you adjusting to D.C.? And I would be like, I don't know, man, everybody here is an arugula-chomping soccer watcher. And I don't understand it and what happened to real, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Now I have World Cup fever, which means I have been fully associated. into Washington, D.C. and into NPR. Obviously, this take of having World Cup fever has taken a few hits this week as the U.S. team got absolutely dogwalked by Belgium. And FIFA, you know, demonstrated that it has not come a super long way from the time that it financed a lavish film about itself that made $918 at the U.S. box office. But I have found this World Cup extremely moving. Give me a story of Scottish fans drinking the city of Boston Dry. Give me the story of Algeria and Lawrence, Kansas, finding this incredible bond.

I'm not made a stone here. I love this sort of thing. And I've even started to finally, thanks in part to my soccer-knowing partner, started to figure out how the game works and started to figure out when somebody is off-sides, when something is clearly a yellow card versus a red card. These things that, like, new fans are constantly adjusting to, I've started to finally pick up on, is there too much flopping? Is there too much corruption? Did that France-Paraguay game drive me absolutely nuts with all the, like... What about the Egypt game? With all the, yeah, with all, but like, anytime they're kind of grabbing at each other instead of playing the beautiful game the way it was meant to be played, I get to sound like a soccer crumaging now. Sure, that stuff frustrates me, but anything that makes the world feel, smaller and more united is all right by me, especially this summer.

That is what is making me happy this week. If you want links for what we recommended, plus some more recommendations, sign up for our newsletter at npr.org slash pop culture newsletter. That brings us to the end of our show, Nikki Birch, Ronald Young Jr. Thanks so much for being here. Thanks for having us. Neither one of you said you're welcome. Come on, man.

Oh, yeah. That's my bad. It's funny because I'd normally say, I've said, on other episodes. I don't know why I didn't think about it today. This episode was produced by Lennon Sherburn, Hufsafathema, and Mike Katzif, and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello, Come In provides our theme music. Thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR.

I'm Stephen Thompson, and we will see you all next week.