Moana: Dwayne Johnson Responds to the Live-Action Remake's Mixed Reviews

What Dwayne Johnson said about Moana

Speaking to People magazine, Johnson recalled that “our first two reviews came out. I’ll never forget it… they were amazing,” before the reception shifted. Released in cinemas last month, the film landed a 31 per cent critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes but a much higher 88 per cent audience score. Not every critic was cool on it: The Hollywood Reporter's chief film critic David Rooney called it “one of Disney’s better live-action remakes” and “captivating family entertainment.” The remake is the latest test of Disney's live-action strategy after a mixed run at this summer's box office.

If you love it, great. If you don't, no problem. That's just the way it goes because we're in this business.

For Johnson, who is of Samoan heritage, the film's cultural representation mattered more than the scores: he said his children could now “look at the big screen” and see themselves reflected, as The Hollywood Reporter reported. Catherine Laga’aia takes the title role, succeeding Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the character in the animated films.