‘Moana 2’ star explains how the character is a princess heroine for our times

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The main character of “Moana 2” can walk on water and move oceans, but is she a princess?

Auli’i Cravalho, who voices Moana in both the original 2016 animated film and the new sequel, said it’s more than that.

“Films are always representative of their time,” Cravalho he told EW,

“In this day and age, we want to see a young woman being the heroine of her own story,” she said. “So, yes, she is a princess, but she is also a hero. “I like that those two words are now interchangeable.”

But don’t expect Moana to look like a typical Disney princess.

“You probably won’t see Moana in a ballgown,” Cravalho said. “And that’s okay.”

The actress, now 24, was 14 when she was first cast to play the character. Moana’s journey in the new film, Cravalho He told the people, marks the first time “in Disney history that a Disney princess has been allowed to age.”

“My voice has changed since I played her when I was 15, and now her voice is a little different,” she said. “The songs I sing also show a different side of me.”

Cravalho co-stars in the sequel with Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House and Alan Tudyk.

“Moana 2” grossed $13.8 million in preview screenings, according to Variety, making it the biggest preview release to date for Disney Animation.