Disney’s live-action Moana, which grossed about $323.6 million worldwide, starts streaming on Disney+ on Oct. 21. Its star, Catherine Laga’aia, already has her next Disney job: a Spaceship Earth pilot.
Live-action Moana is sailing onto Disney+.
The remake starts streaming Wednesday, Oct. 21, Disney announced in a promo on its YouTube channel. What’s On Disney Plus and WDW News Today reported the date Oct. 13.
That’s 103 days after the movie opened in U.S. theaters on July 10, by our count.
When can you watch live-action Moana on Disney+?
Oct. 21, with a Disney+ subscription. Disney hasn’t announced a Hulu date.
If you don’t want to wait, you’ve had options for a while:
Digital: on sale since Sept. 8 on Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home and other digital stores
4K, Blu-ray and DVD: out since Oct. 6, including a limited 4K SteelBook
Disney+ already streams the animated Moana and Moana 2, so a three-movie family night is on the table once Oct. 21 hits.
Who stars in live-action Moana?
Catherine Laga’aia plays Moana, and Dwayne Johnson is back as Maui after voicing him in the 2016 animated film and 2024’s Moana 2.
The cast also includes John Tui as Chief Tui, Frankie Adams as Sina and Rena Owen as Gramma Tala. Thomas Kail, who directed the filmed version of Hamilton, directed it.
Johnson produced the film, along with Lin-Manuel Miranda and others. Auli’i Cravalho, the original voice of Moana, is an executive producer.
It’s rated PG and runs 1 hour, 55 minutes.
How much did live-action Moana make at the box office?
About $323.6 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. That breaks down to $126.2 million in the U.S. and Canada and $197.4 million everywhere else.
That’s a problem for a movie this expensive:
Budget: about $250 million to make, Deadline and Variety reported.
Marketing: around $120 million more, according to Variety.
Break-even: at least $600 million worldwide, Variety estimated.
In July, Deadline’s sources projected Disney would lose $100 million to $125 million in the film’s first release cycle, assuming it grossed about $250 million worldwide. It ended up making more than that. That projected loss is where the “$100 million flop” talk came from.
How does it compare to the animated Moana movies?
Not well. The 2016 animated Moana made about $643.5 million worldwide, and 2024’s Moana 2 made more than $1 billion, according to Box Office Mojo.
The live-action version made about half of what the 2016 original did, by our math.
It opened to $43.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, and about $95 million worldwide. Disney had hoped for around $130 million globally, Deadline reported.
That U.S. opening landed less than $1 million above the $42.2 million that 2025’s live-action Snow White opened to, as we reported in July. Disney’s remakes have been all over the map lately. Lilo & Stitch passed $1 billion worldwide in 2025.
What did Disney’s CEO say about Moana?
Josh D’Amaro said on Disney’s August earnings call that the film didn’t meet the company’s box office expectations.
But he also said Moana is “expected to be a strong title on Disney+,” according to Variety.
That’s the test starting Oct. 21. Disney is betting families who skipped theaters will watch at home.
What did critics think of live-action Moana?
Critics weren’t kind, but audiences were. The film sits at 33% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, from 197 reviews, as of Oct. 13.
Verified audience members gave it 88%. That’s a 55-point gap, by our math. Opening-night audiences gave it an A-minus CinemaScore, Deadline reported.
What’s next for Catherine Laga’aia?
Another Disney project, and this one is based on a theme park ride.
Laga’aia and Deacon Phillippe, of Brother Save Us, will lead Spaceship Earth, a Disney+ pilot based on the EPCOT attraction, Deadline reported Oct. 12. Character details are being kept quiet.
Jason Fuchs and Michael Waldron wrote it, and Lee Toland Krieger will direct. Waldron created Marvel’s Loki series, and 20th Television is the studio.
It’s a pilot, not a full series yet. Disney+ ordered the pilot in August, and it still has to get picked up.
Where can you find Moana at Disney World?
At EPCOT. Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana opened there on Oct. 16, 2023, so it is about to turn 3. Disney describes it as an interactive walk through the water cycle, and it’s in the same park as the Spaceship Earth ride.
Watch Disney’s Moana streaming promo
Fun facts about live-action Moana
It was supposed to come out a year earlier. Disney announced the remake in April 2023 and first dated it for summer 2025, before moving it to July 10, 2026, Deadline reported.
It was shot in Hawaii. Filming ran about six months there, plus water-tank work in Georgia, according to Deadline.
There’s one new song. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote “Along the Way” for the end credits, Deadline reported.
Maui is the only lead who came back. Dwayne Johnson voiced him in both animated films and now plays him on screen. Cravalho, who voiced Moana, is an executive producer this time.
So if you skipped it in July, Oct. 21 is your chance.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Disney on YouTube: Moana, streaming on Disney+ Oct. 21
What’s On Disney Plus and WDW News Today, Oct. 13, 2026: live-action Moana Disney+ release date
What’s On Disney Plus, Sept. 1, 2026, and Disney UK press, Sept. 2, 2026: digital and home video release
Disney UK press, Nov. 17, 2025: first trailer, poster and cast
Box Office Mojo: Moana (2026), Moana 2 (2024) and Moana (2016), checked Oct. 13, 2026
Deadline, July 12, 2026: opening weekend and projected loss; Variety, July 14, 2026: budget, marketing and break-even
Variety, Aug. 5, 2026: Josh D’Amaro on Moana
Rotten Tomatoes, checked Oct. 13, 2026
Deadline, Oct. 12, 2026: Catherine Laga’aia and Deacon Phillippe to lead Spaceship Earth; Aug. 6, 2026: Disney+ pilot order
Pirates & Princesses, July 13, 2026: Moana’s opening vs. Snow White
Our math: days from theaters to Disney+; share of the 2016 film’s gross
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.