Every season, there is one film, the one that pulls families out of their homes and into cinemas together.
This July, the film is Moana. Disney’s live-action reimagining arrives on July 10.
Director Thomas Kail, the Emmy and Tony Award-winning force behind Hamilton, explains why this story resonates so far beyond its young heroine. “I think the idea of going further than you think you can and understanding that there is something beyond your own understanding of what’s possible, is incredibly resonating,” Kail said.
“It’s a story about what you do for your community, what you do for your family when they say no and you feel like there’s a yes inside of you. And I think those are not just problems and challenges that teenagers face, but all of us who have been in a family — which is most of us.”
Dwayne Johnson, who returns as the irrepressible Maui and produces the film, has been equally clear about what Moana ultimately is. “It’s more than a movie,” he has said. “There’re values, and there’s culture that is for everybody. And it’s a big, beautiful, sweeping movie.”
Moana releases in India in English and Hindi on 10 July 2026. — TNS