Disney has unveiled the first look of its latest princess, Moana, and the actress who will lend her voice to her.
After auditioning hundreds across the Pacific islands, the filmmakers finally found 14-year-old Auli'i Cravalho, who will voice the lead character in Disney's upcoming animated movie "Moana".
In an interview with People, Cravalho said, "From baby time to now, I wanted to be a Disney princess and then I wanted to be a singer or an actress."
Talking about her role, she further added: "Moana is such an amazing character. She's brave, she is so empowered, she knows what she wants and she's not afraid to get it, and I think that's something that I can relate to as well.
"I just love watching how she goes along in this wonderful movie and grows as a person and helps her culture along the way."
Moana will journey across the sea to fulfill an ancient quest begun by her ancestors. Besides Cravalho, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will also make an appearance as a legendary demigod named Maui, who will join Moana in the search of a fabled island.
Johnson greeted Cravalho on joining the cast. He wrote on Instagram: "What's amazing about this story is that she didn't think she was good enough so she never auditioned. Fortunately, one of our Oahu casting agents discovered her singing at a charity competition and the rest is history.
"An awesome lesson to all young kids out there. Work hard, have confidence in yourselves and never think you are not good enough because you never know what the future holds."
On learning that she will be co-starring with Johnson, Cravalho said, "I am very excited about that, my gosh. I have never heard him sing before so it is going to be really interesting."
The CG-animated comedy-adventure will be directed by renowned filmmakers Ron Clements and John Musker, who are known for their works in movies like "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin".
"Moana" is all set to release in theatres on 23 November, 2016.
