The search is over, and Disney has found their new Moana. After an extensive casting call, Disney has cast newcomer Catherine Laga‘aia to star opposite Dwayne Johnson in the live-action Moana, a remake of the hit 2016 animated movie.
The 17-year-old Laga’aia takes over from Auli‘i Cravalho who voiced the character in the 2016 movie, and will do so again in the upcoming sequel arriving this November.
“I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites,” said Laga‘aia in a statement. “My grandfather comes from Fa‘aala, Palauli, in Savai‘i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me.”
In the cast along with Laga’aia and Johnson, who reprises his role as the demigod Maui, are John Tui as Moana’s father, Chief Tui; Samoan-New Zealand actor Frankie Adams as Moana’s mother, Sina; and Rena Owen, who hails from Bay of Islands, NZ, as Gramma Tala. The film will be directed by Thomas Kail, known for Broadway’s Hamilton.
Johnson and Lin-Manuel Miranda are also aboard as producers.
Moana opens in theaters on July 10th 2026.
