Moana , Disney’s latest animated flick, will hit theaters later this year. Voicing the two main characters, Moana and Maui, are Hawaiian teen Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and another star has been added to the growing cast.
Singer Nicole Scherzinger announced on her official Instagram account that she will be lending her voice to Sina in Disney’s Moana . Sina is the titular character’s mother, and Nicole says that it’s a dream come true to be playing a Disney character. Scherzinger posted a picture of her character Sina alongside Sina’s husband, Tui. “Im a frikkin Disney character,” Nicole captioned the photo.
Moana is a movie about a teenager who sets out to sea together with Maui, a demi-god. Together, they go on an adventure and face different characters along the way.
In an interview with USA Today , co-director Ron Clements described the character of Sina as “very warm and supportive of her daughter, but she’s trying to negotiate the difference between the two of them and be this peacemaker.”
Your first look at #Moana is coming this Sunday! pic.twitter.com/DTaNuWokmZ
— Moana (@DisneyMoana) June 10, 2016
In a press release by Disney, as reported by Broadway World , Sina always supports her daughter Moana and understands her desire to travel the seas, but “she also wants to protect her daughter from the fabled dangers beyond the reef. Moana’s father who is a chief of the island of Motunui, on the other hand, is opposed to his daughter’s longing for the sea and wants her to be the next chief.
Meet Moana, Maui, and all of the characters of Disney’s #Moana when the film sails into theatres November 23! pic.twitter.com/MHyazbyiAy
— Moana (@DisneyMoana) July 25, 2016
In addition to Dwayne Johnson, Auli’i Cravalho, and Nicole Scherzinger, other voice actors included in Moana are Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, and Alan Tudyk. Co-director Jon Musker talked about the cast of Moana in an interview, as reported by tv3.ie.
“Our assembled voice cast for this film is beyond our wildest dreams. We are so fortunate to have this group of talented actors, many from Oceania, breathing life into their characters.
“We are so thankful to have found such extraordinary people who not only capture the voices of these characters, they elevate them in every way.”
Nicole Scherzinger is a singer/songwriter who rose to fame as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. Since the girl group disbanded in 2009, Scherzinger has released solo albums and has also appeared as a judge on The X Factor . Moana isn’t Nicole Scherzinger’s first film project. She has appeared in other films such as Love Don’t Cost a Thing , My Wife and Kids , and Men in Black 3. Moana , however, is the first time Scherzinger will be lending her voice to a Disney character.
Jemaine Clement, @NicoleScherzy , @AlanTudyk join @TheRock in animated #Moana https://t.co/4CzUwhXcfO pic.twitter.com/9ROz7Jotat
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 25, 2016
In addition to announcing the cast of Moana , Disney has also released the images and short descriptions of other Moana characters , as reported by Nerdist .
More details about Moana will be revealed as the release date gets closer. Meanwhile, here are other facts about the movie.
- Moana won’t have a love interest in the film.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote music for the film and is part of the music team.
- Moana has a pet pig named Pua.
- Moana is set in the South Pacific, some 2,000 years ago.
- The ocean is a character in the movie.
- Moana is the first South Pacific Disney Princess
Check out the trailer of Moana below.
Moana is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 23. Are you excited to watch this Disney film? Share your comments below.
[Photo by Grant Lamos IV/Getty Images]