DISNEY takes a tiki turn

FANS OF Disney’s animated adventures are about to be swept away by “Moana”, a very atypical Disney princess on a crucial mission in the South Pacific.
Disney Animation Studio’s latest feature is about a teen princess whose destiny is to save her people and discover her own identity.
The story is set 2,000 years ago, when Moana (voiced in English by young Auli’i Cravalho and in Thai by Myra Maneepat Molloy) makes an unlikely pact with the demigod Maui (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and together they embark on an adrenaline-rush adventure across the open seas.
A heart-warming tale that’s sure to have viewers alternatively laughing and crying, “Moana” adheres to the Disney tradition of folktales retold amid dazzling visuals while adopting the very modern attitude that stereotypes are made to be broken.
Ron Clements and John Muskers direct a voice cast that also includes Temuera Morrison, Rachel House, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk, but when the promotional tour rolled into Singapore last week, all |eyes were on Auli’i Cravalho, the 15-year-old Hawaiian |star.
She sat down for a chat with us alongside Disney Animation producer Osnat Shurer.

TELL US ABOUT THE RESEARCH THAT WENT INTO A STORY SET SO LONG AGO.
Shurer: According to scholars, migrations in the area of Samoa and Fiji had already been underway for thousands of years. We went to those islands, as well as Tahiti, Hawaii, New Zealand and others. We spent time with academics, villagers, fishermen, master tattoo artists, weavers – lots of people – and we learned a lot.

HOW WAS AULI’I SELECTED FOR THE TITLE ROLE?
Shurer: We had really, really talented young women sending in audition tapes literally from all over the world. We were looking for someone who could really|act and sing but also embodied some of the character’s |traits.
Moana has a balance of compassion, empathy, emotional intelligence, courage and determination, and we needed to find someone with that same balance.
We brought Auli’i to Burbank, California, to audition again, and when we teased her, she teased right back. She’s not afraid, and she’s also grounded in this great warmth and in her own culture. All of that came through in her acting and singing. We just knew she was right.

AULI’I, THIS IS YOUR FIRST FILM.
Cravalho: It’s actually my first anything besides a backyard play I put on for my mom!
It’s a wonderful blessing to have the opportunity to play her. I loved singing and performing the character because she’s so close to my own heart. The film is inspired by Polynesian culture and I’m Polynesian.
It was challenging, but I got to connect with my character and I had a lot of fun.

HOW ABOUT WORKING WITH DWAYNE JOHNSON?
Cravalho: I loved it! He and I had a lot of fun on the set. He grew up in Hawaii too and we both have the ‘aloha’ spirit [compassionate, peaceful].
I learned a lot from him, seeing how focused he was. He’s the busiest man in Hollywood and yet he’s very kind. If I could learn more by working together with him again, that would be amazing.

Demigod Maui is voiced by actor Dwayne Johnson

YOU’VE SAID THAT, BECAUSE OF THE FILM, “I NOW BELIEVE IN FATE.” WHAT CHANGED YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
Cravalho: I suppose it’s because I now believe in myself. This year has been a big growing year for me. I’ve been travelling and learning so much through the journey of Moana.
Plus, I’m a junior at university now and I’m figuring out what to do with the rest of my life, which is giving me a bit of pressure. I believe in going out on a limb, trusting in myself and pursuing something I’m not sure I’m ready for – but in fact I am.
HOW DID YOU FRIENDS REACT WHEN THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT YOU GETTING THIS BIG ROLE?
Cravalho: They face-timed me and texted me all the time – they’re just so proud of me. But that keeps me humble and motivated.

THE FILM REALLY NAILS THE ANIMATED WATER EFFECT, OSNAT.
Shurer: For us, it’s the art that inspires the technology to push further. The setting we wanted would push the technology boundaries further.
In a movie where 80 per cent of the story is on water and water is even one of the characters, in computer animation that’s insane. Initially we didn’t know how hard it would be, but everyone rose to the challenge and made this incredible water.
And, once the technology is in place, it inspires new ideas in the art. It’s part of the joy we have in our integrated studio, where we can keep pushing each other to break new ground.

BEING SO UNCONVENTIONAL, MOANA DOESN’T REALLY FIT IN AMONG THE TYPICAL DISNEY PRINCESSES.
Shurer: She’s born to royalty, but I would call her a hero, because this is a hero’s journey and she’s the hero of her own story. It’s obviously beyond gender.
She’s the person who is going to not just save her world, but in the process of that also find out who she is. It was very important to us that when we tell the story of this person whose destiny is to save her world, she could actually do that, using strength, her presence, athleticism and everything it takes.
Cravalho: She’s definitely a strong character that goes beyond gender, someone very modern and inspiring.

AULI’I, HOW WELL DO YOU THINK THE MOVIE REPRESENTS YOUR POLYNESIAN CULTURE?
Cravalho: Of course we wanted a film inspired by our culture to be done right. And I can honestly say that I’m very proud to be a part of this, how it’s come out, and the time the director and the producers took to research it, connect to our culture and understand that “way finding” is something we actually did.

 Teenage ‘Talent’ winner Myra speaks for Moana in Thailand

  Myra Maneepat Molloy

THAI AUDIENCES will be hearing the voice of 19-year-old Myra Maneepat Molloy when Moana speaks and sings in the movie. A budding singer and actress who can tackle pop and classical music as well as Broadway show tunes, she was the debut-season winner of “Thailand’s Got Talent” when she was just 13 years old. And in 2014 she was one of the finalists on the American TV show “Rising Star USA”.
“When my mum told me I got this part, I was like “Me? Really?!” Myra giggles. “I’ve always been a Disney fan and it’s always been my dream to be in a Disney movie. I’m so happy and honoured that they even thought of me.”
This was Myra’s first try at a cinema voice role. She and Vietnamese teen Minh Nhu are the only Southeast Asians chosen to dub and sing for the lead role in local languages.
“It’s completely different than anything I’ve ever done – acting with only your voice, no one seeing your face or gestures,” Myra says. A director helped me through the process, channelling the character and making my voice sound larger than life.”
Myra appears as the character Wish in the HBO Asia dark-fantasy series “Halfworlds”, which premiered a year ago. Season 2 is about to begin. She even co-wrote the show’s soundtrack.
“I keep getting cast as immoral characters. I don’t know why. I guess I look good with dark makeup!”

“Moana” premieres on December 1. There’ll be sneak previews in cinemas starting on Thursday afternoon.