This summer, Disney will release Moana, starring Catherine Laga'aia as the titular wayfinder and Dwayne Johnson, who reprises his role as the trickster demigod Maui.
The expectation is that the movie will be a huge hit. Moana grossed over $687 million in 2016, and Moana 2—which started as a Disney+ TV series before being reformatted into a feature—topped $1 billion. The Disney Animation franchise has only grown in popularity over the past decade, so the movie getting the live-action treatment isn't hugely surprising.
The first trailer received a mixed, if not largely negative, response online, partly because it looks like a shot-for-shot remake, but mostly because of The Rock's transformation into Maui. His wig has faced widespread ridicule, prompting the Hollywood trades to even run a story that confirmed no post-production tinkering will be utilised to fix it.
Disney is banking on families showing up for Moana, regardless of how silly Johnson looks. Chances are that's exactly what will happen, as the negativity is nowhere near as widespread as it was for Snow White, for example.
As we first reported on Toonado.com, a new standee has been spotted at CinemaCon in Las Vegas today, and while some still find the long hair jarring, the actor actually looks much better as the demigod in this promotional shot. Moana herself is also featured, as are Pua and Heihei.
Moana is among the Disney titles set to be showcased in Sin City later this week, so another new look at the movie could be released in a matter of days. If not, expect attending press and exhibitors to share footage descriptions.
Addressing his transformation, Johnson recently said, "The thing that became a challenge, that I had to work through very quickly, that I didn't anticipate was the prosthetics and the hair and then the body. That is an additional 40 pounds on you."
"There's a freedom when you perform, whether it's as an actor or singing. So that was an adjustment on how to actually work my emotions through the 40 pounds of prosthetics and hair and body that I had on me," he continued. "Maui was a big guy, and I couldn't lose the weight because when you lose weight, you lose it [in your neck]."
"I couldn't have a big bodysuit and then a small little skinny neck. 40, 50 pounds is a lot to put on. Then it's a lot to maintain for months. It was gruelling because of the suit and how hot it was. Wait till you see pictures. In between takes, there's literally five, six people, all [with] fans, opening me up, pulling my hair back," Johnson added.
In addition to Laga'aia and Johnson, the Moana cast includes John Tui as Moana's no-nonsense father, Chief Tui; Frankie Adams, who portrays Moana's playful and strong-willed mother, Sina; and Rena Owen as Moana's revered Gramma Tala.
Disney's reimagining of the beloved Oscar-nominated animated adventure is directed by Emmy and Tony Award winner Thomas Kail (Hamilton); produced by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Kail, Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated films.
Moana features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina, and an original score composed by Mancina. The movie arrives exclusively in theaters on July 10.