If you're anything like us, the merest whiff of a rumour about a new Disney film will get you whipped up into an excited frenzy.
So nothing has changed since we were little kids on this front. We accepted our love for Disney films long ago.
Moana first came to our attention back in 2015 when it was announced that Disney were creating a brand new princess for us all to obsess over. She was hailed as the "first Polynesian princess" – which in this day and age means somewhere around New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island.
Set 2,000 years ago on the small island of Motunui, Moana is about a young girl who loves to travel, and is the only daughter of the chief. Voiced by Auli'i Cravalho, who herself is from Hawaii, other voice actors include Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, Jermaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) and Rachel House, who is of Maori descent.
Oh, and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Who also provides the singing voice for his character. Yep. Don't believe us? Watch our video of The Rock singing here:
He's being conducted by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has co-written the songs for the film. Arguably one of the best elements of a Disney movie and the thing that sets them apart from other animated films is – the music.
How many of us can admit we wouldn't have loved Frozen QUITE as much if it hadn't had bangers like 'Let It Go', and 'Love Is An Open Door'? We know we wouldn't.
If you haven't heard of Lin-Manuel, he's written, starred and composed music for countless musicals. Yep, a pretty big deal. He also wrote the Cantina song in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a twist on the original and well-loved one from A New Hope – AND we'll be seeing him opposite Emily Blunt in the new Mary Poppins. Eek!
Although the film has already been released in the US, it is released in the UK - TOMORROW (Dec 2).
This is what we know of the story according to the Disney website: "Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania.
"But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped, and no-one knows why... Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana is about an adventurous teenager who, with help from demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and save her people."
Who is Auli'i Cravalho?
Auli'i Cravalho is the voice of the title character in the upcoming Disney film, Moana. Born on Novemver 22 2000, she's just 16 years old – 14 when she was cast! Apparently, Moana had already been designed by the team, so the fact that Auli'i looks so much like her is a coincidence. She was also the last person to audition out of hundreds of potentials – thank goodness she did!
What does 'Moana' mean?
Moana means "ocean, wide expanse of water, deep sea" in Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages.
Who else is voice-acting in Moana?
The new film features Auli'i Cravalho as Moana. She sets off on a journey to find Maui, a demigod. Maui is voiced by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who also provides the singing voice for his character in the film.
Nicole Scherzinger features in her first voice acting role as Sina Waialiki, Moana's mother and her father Chief Tui's wife. Besides singing in The Pussycat Dolls and judging on The X Factor, Nicole also has acting experience, having played the iconic role of Grizabella in Cats on broadway.
Alan Tudyk also has a small voice role in Moana as Heihei, Moana's pet rooster and also Villager #3. However, Alan was not only a main character in A Knight's Tale alongside Heath Ledger (RIP Heath), he's also had many voice roles in films such as Ice Age, I, Robot, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, Zootropolis and Frozen.
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