Moana
Open to any feedback
In Japan, the live-action version of Moana is going to be released on July 31. From the trailers, the live-action movie seems to faithfully depict the original atmosphere, unlike Snow White and The Little Mermaid (lol). So, I'm really looking forward to it.
However, although Moana 2 became a smash hit, the live-action version of Moana doesn’t seem to be doing well at the box office in North America. Moreover, it has received negative reviews from critics. The only saving grace is that audiences seem to appreciate it.
Probably, the difference between critics’ and audiences’ reviews is because Disney stayed too faithful to the original story. Disney fans emphasize preserving the original atmosphere, while critics don’t necessarily value faithfulness to the original. They may think that simply following an existing story makes the new film less worthwhile.
As a Disney fan, I prefer a movie that faithfully reproduces the original story rather than one that includes controversial changes.
Moreover, the live-action version was released not long after the original animated movie, so it may not attract as many people. Regarding Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Cinderella, most Disney fans have never seen the original animated versions in theaters. So, it was worth seeing the live-action versions in theaters.
However, in the case of Moana, most Disney fans—except younger audiences who were too young to see it in theaters back in 2016—have already seen the original animated movie in theaters. That likely reduces the incentive to watch the same story again in live-action form.
日本では『モアナと伝説の海』実写版が7月31日に公開されます。予告を見た限り、（白雪姫やリトルマーメイドと違い(笑)、）原作が忠実に再現されており、私は非常に期待していました。
しかし、『モアナ2』が大ヒットした割には、北米での興行成績は芳しくないようです。しかも、映画批評家の評価も悪い。 唯一の救いは、一般観客評価は上々という点でしょうか。
専門家と一般観客の間で評価が割れている理由は、おそらく「原作を忠実に再現し過ぎた」からではないでしょうか？ディズニーファンは「原作の雰囲気を損ねないこと」を重視していますが、批評家は原作再現度を軽視していると言いますか――既存シナリオをなぞっただけでは新作を作る価値がないとでも思っているのでしょう。
奇を衒った演出をやられるよりは、原作に忠実な方がディズニーファンとしては嬉しいのですが。
あと、オリジナルアニメ公開から実写映画公開まであまり間が開いていないのも興行収入不振の原因でしょう。 美女と野獣やアラジン、シンデレラに関しては、ディズニーファンと言えど劇場で見たことのない人が大半でしょうから、「実写版を劇場で見る」ことに価値が発生しますが、モアナの場合、子供以外のディズニーファンは既に劇場でアニメを見ていますからね……
Thoughts on the Japanese version of Disney's "Moana"
MY GUESS: However, although Moana 2 became a smash hit in Japanese, the live-action version of Moana doesn’t seem tohasn't be doing well at the box office in North AmericaAmerican box offices.
Moreover, it has received negative reviews from many critics.
The only saving grace is that many Japanese audiences seem to appreciate it.
They mayPerhaps critics think that simply following an existing story makes the new film less worthwhile.
Thank you for your feedback.
In Japan, the live-action version of Moana is going to be released on July 31.
No change suggested
This is good, but I might shorten it up to: "In Japan, the live-action version of Moana will be released on July 31."
ProbablyMost likely, the difference between critics’ and audiences’ reviews is because Disney stayed too faithful to the original story.
TheyCritics may think that simply following an existing story makes the new film less worthwhile.
Overall feedback
Excellent post, and I think you hit the issue squarely on the head: Moana's animated version is only a decade old. Making live-action versions of classic animated films (although I think this has largely been a cash grab on Disney's part) is reasonable from the perspective that you are updating these stories for a new generation that might not have seen them. Moana is just too new. As an example, my partner wants to see the new Moana; I don't have much interest. But he hasn't seen the 2016 animated version, while I have. Right now, Hollywood is a bit abuzz with movies like Backrooms and Obsession, because they've made a lot of money on minor budgets, and big movies like Moana, Disclosure Day, etc., are doing relatively lukewarm business. Although Toy Story 5 did just fine! I find speculating about box office is fun but also really difficult to take anything concrete from.
Thank you for your feedback. I agree that making live-action adaptations to update stories for modern audiences makes sense. I actually enjoyed the recent live-action Lilo & Stitch as well. And honestly, I don’t mind Disney trying to make money—without that, they wouldn’t be able to fund new projects. That said, the only thing that feels a bit disappointing to me is that sometimes it seems less about telling a compelling story and more about showcasing their latest technology. It almost feels like the original works are being used as a vehicle to highlight CGI, rather than the other way around. In Japan, interestingly, smaller-scale films—like movie adaptations of TV anime or idol-led productions—often perform better at the box office and receive stronger reactions than big-budget productions. I suppose when the investment gets larger, there are more constraints and expectations involved, which can lead to unnecessary creative choices.
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