'Moana': Thomas Kail explains how 'blood, flesh' adds to emotions

Director Thomas Kail shared the latest insight into the Moana live-action release, the beloved Disney original.

In an interview with People, he stated, “You want to make sure you have a reason for being”. He continued, “We trusted that story. We trusted those characters, and we also knew by making it flesh and blood, something was going to change”.

Kail, however, thought the 2016 animated film provided a base for everything, yet when the characters turned into humans, the level of emotion took the next stage. So, the difference between the original and live-action, in Kail’s view, stemmed from real people’s interaction. He further mentioned, “By having two people in conversation eye to eye, something transfers there that’s quite powerful”.

As an example, the filmmaker pointed to Catherine Laga’aia as Moana; her scenes of battling the ocean, in turn, lend an unexpected touch of realism and deliver a stronger emotional impact. Kail further offered an insight into a few more differences in the making of Moana.

He also noted, “So we wanted to ensure we had all of that comedy, all the entertainment”.

Despite the above features being similar, what stands apart, Kail said, is scope and scale. He concluded his statement, “The scope and the scale of this movie, I think, feel quite different when you see it on a big screen with real people”.