Mocked for his wig in Moana live, Dwayne Johnson will not change his look!

The live-action remake of Moana unveiled its trailer… and it made social networks laugh.

Like an air of Louis XIV at the beach?

Dwayne Johnson’s look in the first trailer for the live-action remake of Moana clearly did not go unnoticed. In line of sight: his strange curly wig, to disguise him as best as possible as Maui. A strange aesthetic which has triggered a whole bunch of mockery on social networks and many Internet users have difficulty accepting seeing the actor, usually bald, adorned with voluminous and permed hair…

Even the American comedian Weird Al Yankovic laughs, ironically about the resemblance between Maui’s hairstyle and his own and suggesting that Dwayne Johnson be cast to play his role in his biopic…

So is this a worrying bad buzz for this Moana live? We will remember that the remake of Snow White had been mistreated on the web for its horrible 7 Digital Dwarfs (they have even been rewarded at the Razzie Awards since) before crashing at the box office.

But according to Variety, Disney isn’t worried. Despite these criticisms, the trailer exploded with 132 million views in 24 hours on YouTube and social networks – even surpassing the launches of the cartoon trailers Moana 2 or live-action Mufasa. Thus, on the studio side, there was no question of reviewing the copy (as Paramount had done with Sonic For example). Dwayne Johnson’s transformation was particularly extensive, with nearly two and a half hours of daily makeup, between a wig and a 40-kilo prosthetic suit. It was filmed like that and the production will take care of it until the end!

“This wig was essential to staying true to the cartoon character, as Maui was very proud of his hair” explains Dwayne Johnson in EW. “He had beautiful hair, real demigod hair.“. That said, he admits that the team did consider digital effects to add hair in post-production, but ultimately favored a physical approach, considered more effective for the final result: “We tested several solutions from the start. Which was the most economical? The fastest? But in the end, it had to come back to basics: what is best for the film and the audience experience?“

In other words: despite the mockery, Disney fully assumes responsibility for its choices. And intends to go all the way, hair included.

The film is directed by Thomas Kail (Emmy and Tony Award winner for “Hamilton“), who here marks his first major live-action Disney adventure. The screenplay is co-written by Jared Bush (already author of the original film) and Dana Ledoux Miller.

Mark Mancina, composer of the 2016 film, also returns, while Lin-Manuel Miranda serves as producer.

Moana in live-action will be released in cinemas on July 8, December 2026 in France. Watch the new trailer below: