Take, for example, the brilliance of Variety, a publication dedicated to entertainment industry news and coverage.Variety is, like most companies associated with the film business, openly and proudly left-wing.
As such, anytime those on the right, or even tangentially associated with the right, notice or say something about a movie or entertainment property, Variety leaps in to defend their political party.Case in point? The difference in how they have treated the importance of "representation" in two prominent summer big-budget blockbusters.LIVE-ACTION REMAKE OF 'MOANA' GETS RAVAGED BY CRITICS IN LATEST BLOW TO DISNEY STUDIOSOn the one hand, there's "Moana." A fictional story based in mythology, set in the Pacific Islands, the original 2016 animated film was widely enjoyed, critically and commercially successful.That led to the inevitable Disney live-action remake, which is the exact opposite.
As part of their promotional efforts designed to help the film succeed, Variety posted a link to their story on X, saying, "'Moana' Creatives on Working Closely to Honor Polynesian Culture and Traditions, and Why Representation Matters in the Live-Action Film."Catherine Laga'aia and Dwayne Johnson attended the launch of the "Moana Experience" at Potters Fields Park on June 30, 2026, in London, England.(Jo Hale/WireImage)"Why representation matters." So what does that mean in practice? Well, Variety celebrates the film's depiction of Polynesian cultures, saying that the creative team "finally" has something to celebrate.They quote star Dwayne Johnson inexplicably implying that audiences can only enjoy something when characters look exactly like them.
"When I was 8 years old watching Harrison Ford, I was like, ‘I want to be that guy,’ but that guy didn’t look like me,'" Johnson said."And so, as the film hits screens this weekend, Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander audiences, Johnson, and the film’s cast and creatives are finally finding much to cele...