Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 11, 1 November 2015 — Native Hawaiian tapped to play Moana [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

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Native Hawaiian tapped to play Moana

Walt Disney Animation Studios announced Auli'i Cravalho, a Kamehameha Schools sophomore, will be the voice of Moana, the lead character in the animated movie by the same name. The 14-year-old Mililani teenager becomes the next Disney princess. Disney describes the movie as an "animated adventure about a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfill her ancestors' unfinished quest. During her journey, she meets the oneemighty demi-god Maui, voiced by

Dwayne Johnson, and together, they traverse the open oeean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds."

A large wave breaks over the south shore of Laysan lsland. Endangered Laysan tern are shown in the foreground. - Photo: Courtesy Miehele Beynolds/USGS