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Tenacious teenager Moana (voice of Auliʻi Cravalho) recruits a demigod named Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson) to help her become a master wayfinder and sail out on a daring mission to save her people. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker, produced by Osnat Shurer, and featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa‘i, “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

The stars of the film and the music team behind it share their excitement to bring a new Disney heroine to the big screen!

In Disney’s Moana, a young woman embarks on a journey across the sea to fulfill her destiny as a natural navigator. Joined by trickster Demi-God Maui, she sets a course to make things right for their islands as a mysterious force begins to destroy all life. Based on parts of actual Pacific Island mythology, Disney Animation’s latest musical feature celebrates the culture and brings us a new heroine for our generation.

Before the film’s release, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (voice of demi-god Maui), Auli’i Cravalho (voice of Moana), lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and musician Opetaia Foa’i chatted with press before the film’s release about their excitement to share this story with the world.

The film’s leads both come from Pacific Islander backgrounds. Auli’i  Cravhalo having lived in Hawaii all her life and Dwayne Johnson having Samoan family ties. Both were thrilled to be sharing the spirit of their ancestors with the film.

Auli’i Cravhalo: I’ve grown up in Hawaii all my life. I grew up in a small town on the Big Island of Hawaii, where I literally grew up with pigs and chickens. I am deeply rooted to my culture. I actually go to an all-Hawaiian school where the mythology and the folklore of Maui is in our curriculum and I’ve listened to his stories as bedtime, you know, stories and I’ve grown up with the Aloha spirit just around me and I’m sure Dwayne can second that.

Dwayne Johnson: It’s something that is very special, it’s very meaningful to us and our Polynesian culture. Those of you who have had the opportunity to visit Hawaii or any of the Polynesian islands, it’s a very special thing. It’s an intangible thing, that when you get off the plane and you have your feet on the ground there, energetically it takes you to a different place. That’s Aloha Spirit. And you know, the opportunity that we had, just as Polynesians to be part of a story and to bring to life a story of our Polynesian culture in this capacity with our great partners at Disney, musically with these masters, was just a really, really special opportunity for us.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa’i on collaborating and making sure to authentically bring Polynesian roots to the music.

Lin-Manuel Miranda: With my job offer came a plane ticket to New Zealand where everyone was already there at the Pacifica Music Festival with choirs from all the different islands in the Pacific. We sort of immersed ourselves in this world and then Opetaia, Mark (Mancina) and I jumped into a studio and just started banging on drums and started really trying to find, find the pulse of this thing in a way that honored the unique musical heritage and incredible rhythms that come out of this part of the world.

Opetaia Foa’i: For me personally, my journey has been from the village to the city. Now, this movie, I can vouch for it that our ancestors are happy with this movie, culturally speaking. So there are many other cultures that will see this movie and be interested in the movie. But also there will be Polynesians who were born in the cities who will then start the journey back to the roots. That’s what I’m thrilled about.`

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Fans of ‘The Rock’ and Lin-Manuel Miranda were excited to see both working on a song for the film during production. Both shared behind the scenes on their respective social media accounts which won the internet. At the press conference, they shared how exactly they tackled Maui’s song ‘You’re Welcome’ 

Lin-Manuel Miranda: When Dwayne accepted the role he said, “So what are you giving me to sing?”  and he was really excited for this and for me, I went to YouTube where the answers always lie (laughs) and you know, I’m a big fan of his wrestling days and there was a time during his heel turn era where he would pull out a guitar and taunt whatever town he was in. I’d be like, can’t wait to get out of Chicago. (Laughs and tries to do the People’s Eyebrow) I can’t do the eyebrow.

And so I got a really good sense of his vocal range from that 10-minute super cut and then the rest of it was just writing lyrics that embody the spirit of Maui, who is this amazing demi-god, trickster god and once I had the title, You’re Welcome’, which only Dwayne can pull off and still have you love him and root for him, we were off to the races.

Dwayne Johnson: Look, man, it was an opportunity to… to challenge myself and this is, yes, as Lin was saying, he did his research and by the time I got the song, it was in my comfortable range as well and then also parts of the song which pushed me a little bit, which I appreciate because that’s what I needed vocally as well and I had, honestly, I had such a great time, one of the best times I’ve ever had in my career was actually working on this project and certainly working on that song because also like we all love challenges and this was a challenge that the bar is set so incredibly high in a Disney film to sing. (Laughs) Like historically.

Auli’i on what the future has in store for her now that she’s joined the ranks of Disney heroines and princesses. 

Auli’i Cravalho:  It’s just been an incredible journey for me. I’m 15 going on 16. I’m working with the best people in the entire world, of whom are making a film inspired by my culture–the culture that I have lived every day of my life and that is something so incredibly special for the rest of the world to see. But I mean, for me, as someone who is hoping to continue in show business, now that I’m in show biz, which is really exciting, I was wondering, how would I continue in this and still be Polynesian and that might be an interesting concept and it was an interesting concept for me to even think up. But as I continue in this and as I potentially might leave my home, what does that make me?

Does that still keep me Polynesian? Am I still grounded and rooted in the way that I want to be and I can honestly say yes, because being surrounded by my family and by the Hawaiian culture every day, it seems as though I would never lose it. But to have a film like this that will inspire me and to have a character that will inspire others as well, to become rooted in who they truly are, that’s something that inspires me and that I hope will inspire others as well. 

TEMUERA MORRISON (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Once Were Warriors,” “Six Days, Seven Nights”) voices Moana’s father, CHIEF TUI, the gregarious and well-respected leader of the people of Motunui Island. NICOLE SCHERZINGER (Grammy®-nominated singer, West End's "Cats") voices Moana’s mother, SINA, who always has her daughter’s back. Playful, sharp and strong-willed, Sina appreciates Moana’s longing to be on the water, but also wants to protect her daughter from the fabled dangers beyond the reef. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Foa’i on how the themes in Moana resonated with him as well and his gratitude to be able to work alongside the production team. 

Opetaia Foa’i: In my culture music is like breathing air and they can’t understand why somebody would make a career out of playing music. So I had to struggle, you know, throughout my whole career, my parents saying, “Get a job,” you know, they wanted me to be a doctor, a teacher and just fighting against all those things all the way through. So I’m, you know, I was just saying, early on, you know, I was born in a hut, a thatched-roof hut. So to find myself here in a big city and Disney like this, it’s just beyond my dreams, you know. So I’m just thrilled to be part of this amazing group of people, you know. My mouth is still… open. I’ll just sit here and look at these guys. It’s just… I’m in awe.

Johnson on how the film truly captures the spirit of their culture and how he hopes that folks with their shared heritage will appreciate it as he, Foa’i and Cravalho do.

Dwayne Johnson: What Opetaia said I think is very resonant in the pride that they will have in the film. There was some hesitance from a lot of people in our culture about well, what’s going to happen if our culture’s going to be showcased for the very first time on this level, this capacity from Disney? What’s going to happen?

I can tell you, as Opetaia said and as Auli’i says, with great confidence and this is my hope, too, as well, that our experience has been we were in such great hands and anyone who knows John Lasseter, knows that he has manna in his soul and in his body. This was a very important project to him, which is why he sent the (directors and producer) on this mission for the past five years to do all the research. So I feel like the Polynesian people are going to be incredibly proud of the movie.

Over all, all cultures, by the way, I think what’s going to touch upon all of us, regardless of where we’re at in the world, where we’re from, cultures, class, religion is the voice. So our world today, so relevant in this moment is so full of noise. There’s so much noise that’s happening in our world, but the little voice that you’ve always got to listen to, your gut, your intuition, you can do things, you can go beyond boundaries and you have to trust that gut and instinct. So those are the things I feel like our people are going to take away and the rest of the world will take away.

RACHEL HO-- USE (“Whale Rider,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) voices GRAMMA TALA, Moana’s confidante and best friend, who shares her granddaughter’s special connection to the ocean. ©2016 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

The cast on seeing the film for the first time and their reactions

Dwayne Johnson: I was so moved when I saw the movie, for a variety of reasons, not only  do you work on it, you pour your heart and soul into it, it’s culture. The grandmother in the movie, Gramma Tala is like my grandmother, like so many of our grandmothers. When I saw it in a theater, in a very little theater, with a group of people, what I noticed and I’ve used this term earlier, is, there was just, they were floating when they walked out of the theater and it was such a cool thing to be a part of and to watch them come out and energetically they’re floating.

Also, too, in my entire career, I’ve never cried consistently through a movie. (laughs) Ever! And anyway, it was a very, very special thing, so yeah, I guess probably the biggest thing for me was just to watch everybody walk out floating. That was cool.

Auli’i Cravalho: I also got to watch the film for the first time at the screening and that was incredible for me. I’ve been voicing this character for just about a year, a little bit over a year now and I’ve known how incredible she was. But that was me in a booth (laughs) and to see her on screen, I mean, she kind of has some characteristics of me in her face, she’s a little bit like me to have my voice in there, it’s a little uncanny, I’ll say that. But also to hear, I think, how the characters play off of each other; that was really incredible for me and especially Gramma Tala, that was, it was difficult for me to record. It was a challenge because I like being happy and having to challenge myself and go into that, that deeper place was challenging but so rewarding.

Moana is out this Thanksgiving!

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Sabina Ibarra