Mahalo (thank you) Moana!

This Wednesday, Auli’i Cravalho of Oahu was announced as the voice of Moana – Disney’s first Hawaiian princess.

Cravalho is a 14-year-old Native Hawaiian who will lend her voice to the titular heroine in the newest film Moana, which is set to premiere on November 23, 2016.

When the casting call for the Hawaiian princess was announced, Cravalho did not audition, believing she was not good enough. However, a casting agent from Oahu spotted Cravalho singing at a charity competition and later asked her to audition.

In the end, Auli’i was selected by directors Ron Clements and John Musker to voice the next Disney princess. Moana will be her first film, where she will voice a princess from 2,000 years ago who sets out on a quest to fulfill her ancestor’s dreams.

Dwayne Johnson will also have a role in the movie, voicing Maui, who is a demi-god Moana encounters along the way. Not many details have been released about the plot, although it has been revealed that both Cravalho and Johnson will sing in the film.

Moana has left many people anxious for its premiere, being that she is the first princess of her kind and is being portrayed by an actual Native Hawaiian. Unlike most of Disney’s other princesses, Moana is animated in a way that resembles the body type of an average person.

This will bring a greater element of diversity to Disney, a trend that is becoming more and more prevalent, and will hopefully continue in the future. Moana will bring joy to young children who may not look exactly like other princesses, finally providing them with someone that better resembles them.

Moana will undoubtedly be greeted with a tremendous amount of viewers when it hits theaters next year.