A 14-year-old native Hawaiian teenager is tapped to lend her voice to Disney's latest princess in an animated film due next year.
- Oct 7, 2015
AceShowbiz - Auli'i Cravalho is officially announced as the voice of Disney's newest princess, Moana, in an animated movie due November 23, 2016. She gushes on Twitter, "So excited to be a part of Moana! Can't wait to get back in the studio!"
"From baby time to now, I wanted to be a Disney princess and then I wanted to be a singer or an actress," the 14-year-old native Hawaiian told PEOPLE. The teen is a high school freshman in Oahu and sings soprano in her school's glee club.
"Moana is such an amazing character," she said. "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."
She is joined by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who will voice Moana's unlikely demigod friend, Maui. "I am very excited about that, my gosh," the young actress said. "I've never heard him sing before so it's going to be really interesting!"
It's official: We've found our #MOANA. Thrilled to welcome @auliicravalho to our project! #NextDisneyPrincess 👏🏾https://t.co/Ci92LIhzPO
� Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 7, 2015The film, which is set in ancient Pacific, tells the story of a girl who sets sail in search of a fabled island. It is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.
