Moana director Thomas Kail thinks the story's 'emotional moments play quite differently' in the live action version
Thomas Kail has opened up on the differences between the original animated Moana movie and his new live action remake.
Moana director Thomas Kail thinks the story's "emotional moments play quite differently" in the live action version.
The 49-year-old filmmaker was at the helm of the new live action adaptation of the 2016 animated classic, which sees Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson reprise his role as Maui, and he has reflected on what makes his movie stand apart from the original.
He told PEOPLE magazine: “So we wanted to ensure we had all of that comedy, all the entertainment.
“The scope and the scale of this movie, I think, feels quite different when you see it on a big screen with real people...
“When you see an actual 17-year-old [Catherine Laga'aia as Moana] in the middle of the water, that feels a little different. And I think a lot of the emotional moments play quite differently.
"When Gramma says goodbye, and it’s Rena Owen, you feel something, and that’s what I wanted to capture.”
Kail insisted he and his team "trusted" the original story and the characters, but knew "by making it flesh and blood, something was gonna change".
He added: "By having two people in conversation eye to eye, something transfers there that’s quite powerful."
