Hollywood

Disney’s live-action 'Moana' looks 'AI-generated' after first teaser drops

'Moana,' starring Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga’aia, draws criticism

November 18, 2025

Disney’s live-action 'Moana' looks 'AI-generated' after first teaser drops

Disney’s live-action Moana, starring Dwayne Johnson and newcomer Catherine Laga’aia, has unveiled its first look and the reception has been far from warm.

On Monday, November 17, Johnson, 53, shared the teaser in a joint Instagram post with Disney, while the clip was also released on YouTube.

While some fans were thrilled to finally see a glimpse of the project in motion and expressed excitement for the upcoming movie, some movie lovers wasted no time dissecting it and ripping it apart, claiming the remake looks "AI-generated" rather than a true live-action film.

Across social media, viewers described the teaser as AI-made rather than a big-budget remake.

"This looks like if Disney told AI to make a live-action version of Moana [crying emoji]," one user wrote.

"It’s like Sora and ChatGPT had a son," another joked.

"Live action = 1% real actor, 99% animated environment," a third added sarcastically.

A fourth user quipped that the term "'live action' is doing some real heavy lifting here," while another viewer bluntly summed it up, "So basically it’s still animated — just with real humans inserted into it."

Whereas some fans debated whether the visual style felt overly artificial, others argued the remake was unnecessary to begin with, given how the original movie is not much old.

"There’s Treasure Planet, Atlantis, The Princess and the Frog… and we got a movie that isn’t even 10 years old?" one user pointed out.

Another added, "The animated Moana film isn’t nearly old enough for a live-action remake."

Despite the harsh critiques, it is understood that fans' frustration comes from a place of love for the original.

The concern isn’t just about CGI or timing, it’s about wanting the spirit of the original to be honoured properly.

The original Moana was released in 2016. In comparison, many Disney live-action adaptations arrived decades after their animated versions.