Dwayne Johnson provides the voice of Demi-God Maui in the next big animated Disney film – “Moana.” He, and his co-star, Native Hawaiian Auli‘i Cravalho who voices Moana herself, have already been playing a big part in the movie’s promotion. For the rollout of the official poster for Disney’s Moana, Johnson used his instagram account to share this:
Johnson also promises that between now and the film’s Thanksgiving release, that there will be something new to share from Moana on every Monday. Expect amazingly cool looks at the film, taking you deeper into how it was made, and what you can expect from Walt Disney Animation’s story and characters.
I’m excited to learn more about the music. The team behind the film’s music includes Tony- and Grammy-winning lyricist/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, who’s behind Broadway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and multiple Tony-winning “Hamilton” and the Tony-winning “In the Heights,” and is a 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award recipient. Three-time Grammy-winning composer Mark Mancina created memorable scores for films like “Speed,” “Tarzan” and the Oscar-winning “Training Day,” and also co-wrote songs, produced and arranged the score for Broadway’s musical production of “The Lion King.” Opetaia Foa‘i, the founder and lead singer of Te Vaka, is a winner of numerous world music awards, including the Senior Pacific Artist award for his contribution to Pacific music.
On Thursday this week the new official trailer for Moana will drop after first airing on Good Morning America.
About Moana:
Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows exactly why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli‘i Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess & the Frog”), produced by Osnat Shurer (“Lifted,” “One Man Band”), and featuring music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa‘i, “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.
Previously: Moana teaser trailer from Disney Animation.