Disney’s new film, Moana, is making waves. A sweeping, musical adventure, the movie follows an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to a fabled land in order to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (played by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder – a person who navigates and explore new places. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always looked for: her own identity.
The film, set to hit theaters this Thanksgiving, is a beautiful tale of friendship and the importance of finding your own path. It’s great to see Disney continuing to put out inspiring animated movies for the next generation – they’ve had recent success with The Jungle Book, Finding Dory and Pete’s Dragon – but Moana stands out among the rest thanks to its strong, female heroine, the first Polynesian princess to ever grace a Disney film.
Watch the trailer from Moana here as it surfs into theaters everywhere November 23.
