At long last, Walt Disney Animation has settled on the actress primed to lead the high-seas adventure in Moana, after announcing that Auli’i Cravalho has landed the coveted role of the title character.
Coming by way of People Magazine, the 14-year-old actress released a heartfelt statement expressing her excitement for the movie, which will have her star alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson of Furious 7 and San Andreas fame.
“From baby time to now, I wanted to be a Disney princess and then I wanted to be a singer or an actress,” says the 14-year-old Cravalho, “Moana is such an amazing character. She’s brave, she is so empowered, she knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to get it, and I think that’s something that I can relate to as well. I just love watching how she goes along in this wonderful movie and grows as a person and helps her culture along the way.”
Moana Waialiki is the name and a daring maritime adventure is the game in Disney’s lush animation, with out title heroine plotting course for a mysterious island in the South Pacific ocean. During her travels, she happens across Maui, a powerful but friendly demi-god (Johnson) that aids in her quest for the fabled isle, encountering magnificent vistas and dangerous sea monsters along the way.
A coming-of-age story through and through, Cravalho’s wide-eyed explorer will ultimately set out to prove her weight in salt to both her family and other tribe members, but a daring adventure is afoot. At the helm are animation connoisseurs Ron Clements and John Musker, who know a thing or two about life ‘under da sea’ through their work on The Little Mermaid.
Moana will set sail for theaters on November 23, 2016.