Disney released the trailer for Moana live-action, starring Dwayne Johnson as Maui and Catherine Laga‘aia as the titular character, on Monday, March 23.
The clip quickly went viral on social media and had netizens expressing disappointment with the wrestler-turned-actor’s look in the offering.
“A non-bald Dwayne Johnson feels so wrong,” one commented, while another added, “It’s not that he isn’t bald. It’s that they made no effort to make that wig look good.”
This isn’t the first time Johnson has been criticized for his take on Maui, with previous backlash seeing social media users sound off against his use of a bodysuit.
Dwayne Johnson’s look in the Moana live-action trailer has left fans unimpressed
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Dwayne Johnson voiced the Polynesian demigod Maui in both the 2016 and 2024 animated Moana films.
With the live-action version set to release on July 10, netizens aren’t holding back as he steps closer to portraying the character in the flesh for the first time.
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“What is this? This ain’t Maui. This is a cosplay gone wrong. Why does it look so cringe?” a critic asked after taking a look at the trailer, while another, posting a side-by-side comparison of the animated Maui and Johnson, probed, “Besides the tattoo, where is the resemblance?”
“The hair is such a mess,” a third remarked.
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“Whoever chose that wig is getting fired,” stated a fourth.
“This is Dwayne Johnson being a drag queen,” a fifth asserted, while a separate user remarked, “Needs to be fixed.”
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“At a certain point, you have to seriously consider what the f*** we’re even doing anymore,” the next expressed.
A sizable number of social media users also conveyed how some movies are “better left animated, and this is one of them.”
Set photos first leaked in 2024, with Johnson being mocked for wearing a bodysuit
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As Johnson’s bulked-up physique went viral in paparazzi pictures showing him filming outdoors in Hawaii, one netizen pointed at the “visible zip” on the actor’s back, claiming he was wearing a bodysuit and had “not committed” to the role by gaining muscle.
“The neckline at the necklace is a giveaway,” a second added, while a third remarked Johnson had “borrowed muscles” to play the demigod.
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The actor soon came clean about the accusations, admitting to wearing a bodysuit in an interview with Extra.
As the interviewer asked if Johnson had bulked up to play live-action Maui, he said, “That’s a suit that took a long time to put on. I’m so happy that you said, ‘You bulked up,’ because when you said, ‘You bulked up,’ that means you couldn’t tell.”
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Joel Harlow, a renowned makeup artist who won an Oscar for his work in 2009’s Star Trek and worked with Johnson on projects including Jungle Cruise, Black Adam, and Red One, designed the suit.
Johnson hasn’t been the only actor criticized, as the heroine’s appearance was similarly ridiculed in the past
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Auli‘i Cravalho voiced Moana in the animated version, but she was replaced by Catherine Laga‘aia, the daughter of New Zealand-Australian actor Jay Laga‘aia, in the live-action film.
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A 59-second teaser for the live-action Moana premiered on YouTube in November 2024, with viewers quickly observing that the new actress hardly resembled the cherished Polynesian protagonist.
According to some viewers, Catherine’s hair in the teaser appeared less curly than the original character and was styled into looser waves.
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One social media user at the time asked, “Why the f*** did they straighten the actress’s hair if Moana doesn’t have straight hair???”
Image credits: Disney
Another commentator agreed with the criticism, writing, “Moana was supposed to be beautiful with her natural hair. So I ask, do you really think Disney cares about representation?”
A third added, “How do they think someone who lives on an island with saltwater and no electricity would have hair that looks blow-dried like that?”
Critics pushed back against the remake back then as well, with one asserting, “Moana is great as it is. Why does it need a remake? Because Disney needs money?”
“Sadly its gonna make them yet another $1 billion, as these stupid movies do,” a netizen said about the upcoming film
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