Before the turn of the year, there was hushed excitement swirling around Disney’s pair of 2016 animations: Zootopia and Moana. Fast forward six months and change, and now that the former has went on to become the second highest-grossing original movie in history – behind only James Cameron’s box office king, Avatar – all eyes are beginning to turn to John Musker and Ron Clements’ upcoming maritime adventure,
Pegged to arrive toward the end of November, Disney’s coming-of-age tale thrusts relative newcomer Auli’i Cravalho into the title role of Moana Waialiki, a wide-eyed adventurer and Polynesian native who makes the bold decision to depart home in search of a fabled island in the South Pacific. Joining our pint-sized heroine on that adventure is Dwayne Johnson’s charismatic demi-god Maui, who brings some brains and a lot of muscle to Moana’s quest of chasing that horizon.
Before Dwayne Johnson returns to revving engines and bringing the cavalry in next year’s Fast 8, the seemingly omnipresent star will hit the high seas with Auli’i Cravalho when Moana docks in theaters on November 23.
Moana is set in the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania. Moana, a born navigator, searches for a fabled island and her incredible journey teams with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, as they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore.
