Disappointed Moana fans accuse new film of ‘whitewashing’ after spotting detail

There's been a whole lot of buzz online ever since Disney released the trailer for the upcoming live-action remake of Moana.

The Moana film franchise has been a popular one indeed, with fans first being introduced to the titular character and her adventures around the fictional island of Motunui in the Pacific Ocean back in 2016.

The sequel, Moana 2, came eight years later in 2024, and Disney viewers won't need to wait much longer for their next fix as the live-action movie is set to hit cinemas as soon as next summer (10 July).

Now, the upcoming remake will see Catherine Laga'aia play Moana, while Dwayne Johnson will take on the role of Maui.

The likes of John Tui will play Chief Tui while Frankie Adams takes on the role of Sina. And then we've got Rena Owen playing the fan-favourite Gramma Tala.

Per the trailer, the movie will feature songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda's original soundtrack, including 'I Am Moana', which Lagaʻaia sings throughout the teaser.

Check out the teaser trailer here:

However, after catching the first glimpse of the family flick, many fans have been left seriously disappointed and have even accused Disney of 'whitewashing' the protagonist after spotting a very specific detail.

The trailer sees Lagaʻaia, who appears to have naturally curly locks, with straightened hair - despite the fact that the animated Moana had a luscious mane of beautiful curly waves.

After spotting the detail, many disgruntled fans rushed to social media to share their thoughts.

One X user hit out: "Hey @Disney - the actress' naturally wavy hair was PERFECT for MOANA. Why did y’all feel the need to take a hot iron to straighten her hair?"

"The way animated Moana doesn't even have straight hair," pointed out a second, while a third chimed in: "And the actress has curly hair too, idk why they straightened it!"

(Disney)

A fourth echoed: "Her natural hair is exactly the same as the animated version of Moana, make it make sense."

"Why the f*ck did they straighten the actress's hair?!?!?! Her natural hair already looked just like Moana’s. Wtf!" fumed a fifth.

Another agreed: "Yes, I couldn't understand the logic in that either! Her natural curly hair was already perfect for the part."

And a final X slammed: "Even if I were a Moana fan, just for straightening her hair, I'm not watching it. Why are we doing a 2000s-era whitewashing of non-white characters? Her natural hair looks exactly like cartoon Moana."

Tyla has reached out to Disney for comment.