It’s been a long time now that Dwayne Johnson has been attached to voice a character in Disney’s planned animated movie, Moana. However he’s been the only actor we’ve heard about.
Now Disney has announced who it is who will be playing the title character, with Hawaii-born 14-year old actress Aulii Cravalho having scored the role. Alongside the news comes the first official picture and a video introducing us to Cravalho.
The first footage from the movie was shown in August as Disney’s D23 expo, and it was enthusiastically received by those who were there. That footage hasn’t been released online, so sadly we can’t all judge what it was like.
Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid) are set to direct the movie. Here’s the synopsis: ‘In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her incredible journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore.’
Dwayne Johnson is set to voice demi-god Maui, who’s the other character in the pic above.
It’ll be in cinemas towards the end of next year.