Disney’s Moana is the latest animated classic to get a live-action remake, but none of us expected it to go quite like this. Like any Disney remake, Moana (2026) is getting a somewhat divisive response from the fandom. A lot of fans don’t think the animated classic needs to be remade, but if there is one thing that does validate a live-action version, it’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returning to play the demigod Maui, whom he voiced in the original.
The Rock is one of the most scrutinized stars in the world, and despite that fact, he still isn’t afraid to sit down and talk to the press. However, sometimes that public-facing showmanship can take a left turn, which was certainly the case at Disney’s Moana press junket.
As Moana hits theaters, social media has been lighting up with “controversy” over the fact that Dwayne Johnson’s nipples have seemingly been edited out of the film.
However, according to Dwayne Johnson, the internet is going to internet, and there is a logical explanation for what fans are seeing (or not seeing) on Maui’s chest:
Here’s the thing, and I’m not gonna reveal all of it, but we know what it’s like to have markings all over our chests, and sometimes, in Maui’s case, his markings are around his areolas. And sometimes they just get lost in the visuals because there are a lot of things moving and happening, and his pecs are big, so they’re there. So tell the freaks who wanted to know where Maui’s nipples were to pause the trailer, pause it, zoom in, and take a look.
This isn’t the only incident where Maui’s live-action look has come under scrutiny: Johnson’s wig and general look as Maui have been the subject of internet mockery since Moana (2026 ) trailers started dropping. In previous interviews, The Rock openly admitted that the costuming for Maui changed the game for his performance, compared to animation.
“The thing that became a challenge, that I had to work through very quickly, that I didn’t anticipate was the prosthetics and the hair and then the body. That is an additional 40 pounds on you,” Johnson explained to EW. “There’s a freedom when you perform, whether it’s as an actor or singing. So that was an adjustment on how to actually work my emotions through the 40 pounds of prosthetics and hair and body that I had on me.”
There you have it, folks! If you want to know more about Maui’s nipples in Moana (2026), do your own research! The film is now in theaters and we’re discussing it on the ComicBook Forum!
