HONOLULU — With Mokolii in the background, Dwayne Johnson announced Monday that a live-action reimagining of Disney Animation’s 2016 feature film “Moana” is in development.

Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia through their Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn via Flynn Picture Co. are producing the new feature film. Auli‘i Cravalho, the voice of Moana in the 2016 film, and Scott Sheldon of Flynn Picture Co. are the film’s executive producers.

Following in the footsteps of the original animation, the live-action film will celebrate the islands, communities and traditions of the people of the Pacific Islands as seen through the eyes of a young woman carving her path in the world.

“I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen,” said Johnson in a news release. “This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.

“I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people,” said Johnson.

Cravalho, who shaped Moana in the original film, said, “She has had such a profound impact on how we think of Disney princesses. Moana’s strength and perseverance are inspiring — to audiences around the world, to me and to everyone who helped bring her to life. I’m looking forward to sharing her story in a whole new way.”

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” debuted on Nov. 23, 2016, grossing nearly $644 million globally. It was one of the top 15 movies streamed in the U.S. on Disney+ in 2022, and the soundtrack, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa‘i and Mark Mancina, broke the Billboard Soundtrack chart for its 52 weeks spent at number one.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.