Auli'i Cravalho

“It's 'ow,' like, you stubbed your toe. 'Lee,' like Bruce Lee. Then, you add an 'e.' Auli'i Cravalho.”

“I think when everyone found out I was Moana, we got banana bread practically every night of the week. Aside from that, it's been really normal!”

“My mom keeps me grounded and all that. She makes me do chores.”

“It's just been my mom and I for, like, three years or so. I love being able to not have to feel like I have to share the whole everything with the world, which is why I'm not very good at the Snap Chat, and I need help with my social media. Because I... I kind of just like having just us.”

“Each Disney princess is unique in their own way, but Moana is especially close to my heart because she's Polynesian.”

“Moana is such an amazing character. She's brave; she is so empowered. She knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to get it, and I think that's something that I can relate to as well. I just love watching how she goes along in this wonderful movie and grows as a person and helps her culture along the way.”

“There are many wonderful themes from 'Moana' that people discover, and I also hope they're inspired to go on their own journeys and to learn more about the Polynesian culture, because we're pretty great! I'm so proud of the people the filmmakers talked to - the Oceanic Trust.”

“My mother always said to carry yourself with dignity and pride, and I just think Audrey Hepburn totally epitomizes that, you know? From such a young age, she was dancing ballet. There was a lot going on in her life... that was during the time of the Nazis.”

“My friends have said, 'Wait, you're pretty, and you sing? What do you mean you're interested in science?' I have to just hold my head and go, 'Do you hear yourself?' By no means should you ever limit yourself because of what others think or because of their perceptions of what someone looks like in a certain field.”

“I credit my singing to my mom because she didn't give me a binky when I was a baby. I cried and screamed for the first six months - my mom would say four years of my life - and I developed wonderful lungs.”

“I've danced hula since I was 5. My mom danced hula as well. It's been in my family from far back and really connected me to my ancestors.”

“I have a lot in common with Moana. I mean, we both grew up on islands. We both are deeply rooted in our culture.”

“I'm kind of an animated person. I was given this really big blessing that my voice just kind of carries the emotion.”

“I love that Moana is a heroine, and I hope people take that away, and that you most certainly can be the heroine, or hero, of your own story.”

“I surf, swim, play water polo, and I paddle an outrigger canoe with my team. I'm also a klutz on land, so water is my thing.”

“What I really love are acai bowls, with berries, granola, and so much honey.”

“From baby time to now, I wanted to be a Disney princess, and then I wanted to be a singer or an actress.”

“I go to an all-Hawaiian school, and we learn everything about being Hawaiian. We have a really deep respect for the water and the land. We say, 'mauka to makai,' mountains to ocean. I believe if you take care of the ocean, the ocean will take care of you in return.”

“Moana is definitely a Disney character, which is something that I totally love. She's totally bad butt: really awesome. I think she really embodies it because I, as someone who has grown up, been born and raised on the island of Hawaii - so, the Big Island - I love my culture.”

“Moana is an incredible heroine. She's strong... She's got her two feet firmly planted. She's definitely grounded.”