Disney’s latest animated adventure, Moana gives us its first Polynesian princess.
Starring newcomer Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as the trickster demigod Maui, Moana tells the story of a young girl who is fated to be the chief of her small island Motunui but who feels called to the sea, to a destiny greater than even she knows. Moana battles coconut-armored pirates, a diamond-encrusted crustacean, a lava witch and the ego of the powerful Maui. Throughout it all, Moana struggles with the path chosen for her and whether she’s capable of fulfilling her purpose.
READ MORE: LUPITA NYONG’O INSPIRES IN ‘QUEEN OF KATWE’
Cravalho, a native Hawaiian, says getting the chance to bring her people’s culture to the big screen is an incredible honor.
“[T]he fact that Disney has looked and found inspiration in my culture, it blows me away,” Cravalho tells Guideposts.org.
The young star – who’s been balancing recording songs with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda for the film and making sure her molecular science homework is turned in on time (she’s still a 16-year-old after all) – thinks the five years Disney spent researching Polynesian culture, taking trips to islands like Tahiti, Samoa and Fiji and creating a trust of advisers, pays off in the film.
From the rich mythology inherent in the story to small details like the length of Maui’s hair – in Polynesian culture, people don’t often cut their locks – Cravalho can see bits of her own childhood (the music, the lush settings and her love of the ocean) in Moana’s story.
“I’ve been subconsciously preparing for this role my whole life,” she says, citing the legends she grew up on that have now made it into the film.
Animator Mark Henn has been preparing for Moana for a while now too. The artist, who’s been with Disney for 35 years, has worked on some of the studio’s most beloved heroines– think Ariel, Belle, Princess Jasmine and Mulan.
“God has been very good about laying out the plan for my career,” Henn says of his work.
For Moana, Henn was excited to bring back 2D animation with the character of Maui and to do justice to a nation of people who deserve to have their stories told.
“The people Disney met and talked with were so excited to have their part of the world [highlighted in a Disney film]. We just want to be respectful of that,” Henn says. “That’s the balance we have to maintain: telling an entertaining story but having it steeped in authenticity.”
For Cravalho, the Disney film Mulan spoke most authentically to the person she hoped to be, growing up.
READ MORE: THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE HERO OF ‘HACKSAW RIDGE’
“[Mulan] broke a gender norm. I realized that at a very young age,” Cravalho explains. “She didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. She did whatever she had to to honor her family and get the job done and I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do when I grow up. I want to be the person who takes risks.’”
In some respects, Moana is the same.
“[Moana] has to follow this calling in her spirit,” Henn says. “She doesn’t know where it’s going to go or what’s going to happen, but she knows she can’t deny that. People today still experience those kinds of things, especially young people. You have a passion about something, maybe you don’t have all the answers but you know you have to keep pursuing it.”
Cravalho hopes that young girls can see themselves in Moana and realize that they too can be the heroine of their own story.
“That’s the major theme of Moana: journeying, broadening your horizons and really solidifying who you truly are,” Cravalho says. “You don’t need a love interest to do that. You just need time. Going on that journey is so important.”
