Walt Disney Animation Finds a Voice for New Disney Princess ‘Moana’

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Walt Disney Animation has found their voice for the new Pacific Islander Disney Princess Moana. 14 year-old newcomer and Native Hawaiian Auli’i Cravalho will be voicing the staring role for the upcoming film. She will be joining Dwayne Johnson, the voice of Maui the demi-god in the film.

D23DE64F-0625-4B05-8F91-E3D2122BDD0AThough Auli’i had decided to focus on her sophomore year of high school, a casting director remembered one of her previous auditions.

“I didn’t think I would have a chance,” she said. “When I was little, I used to dance around the house singing at the top of my lungs. In my mind, that was performing and I loved the feeling of it. But I never imagined being in a Disney movie, being Moana—representing my culture in that way.”

“Auli’i demonstrated a certain fearlessness in her auditions and call-backs,” said director John Musker. “She has a playful, mischievous wit. She can project vulnerability, she doesn’t seem intimidated at all by the challenges ahead, and her Polynesian background has helped shape her connection to family, hard work and music. These are all qualities she shares with Moana.”

Auli’i has already began recording voice work for the film. Moana comes to theaters November 23, 2016.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast South Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one today knows why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated adventure about a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfill her ancestors’ unfinished quest. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”), and produced by Osnat Shurer (“Lifted,” “One Man Band”), “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.

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