Disney’s first trailer for its live-action remake of Moana proved to be controversial.

A brief look at Moana debuted on November 17, 2025, and focused almost exclusively on newcomer Catherine Laga’aia’s portrayal of the title character as she sings a new version of the Oscar-nominated song “How Far I’ll Go.” The action-packed footage ends with Laga’aia triumphantly belting out the line: “I am Moana!”

Despite the empowering tone of the footage, many diehard Disney fans were critical of the teaser because of its apparent use of CGI even though the project is being promoted as a live-action remake. Others took issue with the possible cultural insensitivity of straightening Laga’aia’s hair in one scene, plus there were gripes about the virtual absence of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Hawaiian

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