Dwayne Johnson remains one of the most recognizable actors working in Hollywood today, and is widely known for starring in and producing family-friendly fare. Getting his start as a wrestler in the WWE, Johnson's first major movie role was as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001), a role he used to springboard into other films like The Scorpion King (2002), The Rundown (2003), and Walking Tall (2004).

Johnson continued his tough-guy acting persona throughout the late 2000s and into the 2010s, appearing in movies like Faster (2010), Snitch (2013), and San Andreas (2015), as well as several Fast & Furious movies. Though he continues to play more serious characters occasionally, the recent years of Johnson's career have seen him taking on a number of lighter and more comedic roles, particularly in four-quadrant movies for the whole family. When it comes to beloved family fare, there's perhaps no greater Johnson movie than his 2016 animated adventure.

Moana Art Makes Dwayne Johnson's Maui A Disturbing Sight

Johnson Is Morphed Into The Body Of His Animated Character

An unsettling Moana art video transforms Johnson into the CGI animated version of Maui. Released in 2016, Moana has since become one of the most popular movies on Disney+, paving the way for a sequel, which hit theaters in November 2024. Both films feature Auli'i Cravalho voicing the title role while Johnson voices Maui, a character he will be reprising in the flesh when the live-action Moana movie hits theaters in 2026.

Though behind-the-scenes videos have already provided some idea of what Johnson will look like as a live-action Maui, a new video shared by artist Isaias Silva on Instagram imagines this transformation going the other way, with Johnson's features superimposed onto the animated version of the character. The video features Silva stretching and morphing aspects of Johnson's face and body onto the exaggerated proportions of the animated Maui, with the end result being something surprisingly disturbing. Check out the video below:

What Johnson's Casting Means For The Live-Action Moana

The Remake Is Already Poised To Succeed

Johnson remains one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, and it's notable that he will be appearing in the live-action Moana. Though his Maui appearance in the live-action remake hasn't been officially unveiled, Moana set photos have revealed that Johnson will look faithful, in many ways, to the character's animated counterpart. In addition to featuring the same long hair, tattoos, and clothing, Johnson is also wearing a bulky muscle suit to play the character, making his silhouette similar to Maui's in the animated movies.

Johnson's voice performance as Maui is a crucial part of both the original movie and Moana 2, and his reprisal of that role for the live-action version could help it achieve a similar level of success. Though Moana was a respectable success at the time of its release, grossing $643 million, it wasn't until its Disney+ release that it really took off in popularity. The sequel, on the other hand, has been a box office smash hit, and has thus far grossed $896 million worldwide. The live-action movie, then, is set to be a big performer.

Our Take On Johnson's Live-Action Moana Casting

Johnson Needs A Career Win

Though Johnson will be reprising his role from the Moana voice cast in the live-action movie, Cravalho will not. Catherine Laga'aia will be taking over the role of the titular protagonist, with Cravalho seemingly having aged out of a live-action portrayal of the character. It's Johnson, though, who is clearly being positioned as the film's key star, and he also serves as a producer on the project.

The rest of the live-action Moana cast includes Frankie Adams as Sina, John Tui as Chief Tui, and Rena Owen as Gramma Tala.

Johnson may be a major movie star, but he has arguably not starred in a genuinely good movie in a number of years now. Red One, his recent Christmas blockbuster, was panned in reviews and has been a major box office flop. The live-action Moana seems destined to be a box office hit no matter what, but Disney's live-action remakes don't have the best track record when it comes to quality. Still, the remake is already on somewhat sure footing since it won't be attempting to morph Johnson's face and body onto a CGI character.

Johnson's Recent Career Explained

Breaking Down The Box Office & Critics' Response

Johnson hyped the release of Red One for several years, sharing behind-the-scenes images and videos and promising a film that would be great fun for the whole family. The movie is more than just a simple Christmas comedy, however, as it carries a reported budget of about $250 million, a Marvel-sized figure. As of writing, Red One's worldwide box office stands at $281 million, a dismal result given the movie was probably looking at a break-even point of at least $500 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has only a 31% score.

Jungle Cruise's theatrical performance was significantly hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic while Red Notice was a Netflix-only release.

As seen in the chart above, Johnson has had success in the animated space, with both Moana 2 and DC League of Super-Pets performing generally well critically and commercially. When it comes to live-action, however, his track record has been a little more spotty, with the Jumanji movies representing his biggest successes. It's notable, too, that Johnson's most successful movies have been franchise movies, not original projects that rely on his star power to succeed.

Though Moana 2 won't be a box office disappointment like Red One, Disney's recent live-action remakes have all faced the same criticism in recent years. Even though they're often technically impressive, they struggle to justify their own existence from a quality perspective. Pinocchio (2022), The Little Mermaid (2023), Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), and even the massively successful The Lion King (2019), don't offer much more than improved visuals over the animated originals. If the live-action Moana falls into this same category, it could end up feeling like another in a long line of middling Johnson films.

Source: @isaiasarts