The latest misfire from Disney’s live-action remake factory is “Moana,” a lackluster retelling of the beloved 2016 animated film that’s so lazy, it’s almost as if the studio turned to an AI tool for inspiration.
The new movie, which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson alongside newcomer Catherine Laga’aia, offers a jarringly familiar narrative that’s almost indistinguishable from the original. This isn’t a commentary on the story’s timeless themes or the cultural significance of the original film, but rather a testament to how easily an AI program could have churned out a similar script with minimal effort.
An AI-generated narrative
Imagine feeding an AI program the basic plot beats and character arcs of the original “Moana,” along with a few choice soundbites and memorable scenes. What you’d get is a live-action remake that’s eerily similar to the one Disney released this summer. The dialogue is clunky, the pacing is sluggish, and the performances are forgettable. It’s as if the filmmakers took a few notes from an AI’s suggestions and ran with them, without bothering to add any real substance or heart to the story.
A lazy creative choice
Disney’s decision to remake “Moana” so soon after the original film’s release raises questions about the motivations behind the project. Was it a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of the original, or simply a cynical cash-grab? Whatever the reason, the end result is a film that feels like it was generated by an AI program designed to churn out lazy, uninspired content.
What this means:
If Disney’s live-action remakes are being generated by an AI that’s simply regurgitating familiar formulas, then the future of creative storytelling looks bleaker than ever. As AI technology improves, we can expect to see more movies that feel like they were generated by a scriptwriting program rather than actual human beings. The question is, will we start to crave this kind of content, or will we demand more from our filmmakers?
