“I cannot wait to help find the next actress to portray Moana’s courageous spirit, undeniable wit and emotional strength,” she said. “I’m truly honored to pass this baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent to honor our incredible Pacific peoples, cultures and communities that help inspire her story, and I look forward to all the beautiful Pacific representation to come.”
Cravalho is a multiracial Native Hawaiian, with Puerto Rican, Portuguese, Chinese, and Irish heritage. But some “Moana” fans say the actress chosen to visually represent Moana should have dark skin — like the protagonist does in the animated movie — in addition to sharing Moana’s strong ties to the Polynesian islands, which include Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga and Tahiti.
Disney did not immediately respond Saturday to The Washington Post’s request for comment about why Cravalho, 22, won’t reprise her role.
Guy Aoki, an advocate for Asians and Pacific Islanders in media, says the decision gives Disney an opportunity to elevate much-needed authentic Pacific Islander representation through “films where they are the heroes.”
Regardless of whether Cravalho will be Moana in the remake, Aoki emphasized that “it’s more important that the filmmakers cast a young female who’s visibly Pacific Islander.”
Disney has made missteps in depicting Asian and Pacific Islander stories by casting actors who are “half White” or appear ethnically ambiguous, Aoki, founding president of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, wrote in a statement to The Post.
“If we don’t maintain the ethnic identities of people of color in the live-action versions, the message that community gets is that there’s something wrong with the way they look — that society prefers those who look more White,” he said.
Disney is well-positioned to cultivate new talent like it did with Cravalho, said Michelle Sugihara, executive director of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment advocacy group.
“This is a really exciting opportunity to discover or uplift another talented Pasifika actor,” Sugihara said, using a term for Pacific Islanders and their descendants.
While some fans expressed their disappointment with the decision on social media, many agreed with the move, hoping the live action could provide an opportunity for a Pacific Islander actress who more closely resembled Moana’s animated look and identity.
“Much respect to you Auli’i,” Zipp Pruitt commented on Cravalho’s post. “While it would be interesting to see the same actress portray the character in a live-action remake. I appreciate that you want this version of the role to go to someone who could reflect Moana authentically.”
Fans linked the “Moana” decision to the backlash Disney received last month, when some said casting for the live-action “Lilo & Stitch” film could water down that movie’s cultural focus. Viewers argued that Sydney Agudong, who was cast as Nani in the forthcoming “Lilo & Stitch,” “looks White” compared to her animated counterpart.
Edmond Chang, an assistant professor at Ohio University who researches race in media and popular culture, says whomever Disney ultimately casts as its live-action Moana will show how devoted to authenticity “Moana” creators were in their search.
Specifically looking for a Pacific Islander actress will also purposefully lift Polynesian culture instead of lumping all Asian and Pacific Islander identities as one, he said, allowing the islanders a chance to “be seen, be heard [and] be recognized.”
“It’s really important that we recognize that there are differences: different identities, different histories, different lived experiences, even among the islands,” Chang said. “A better movie is always going to be specific to whatever it is that you are trying to communicate.”
Disney announced the “Moana” remake in April, with a video message from Dwayne Johnson, who may sing another rendition of “You’re Welcome” as he reprises his role as the demigod Maui.
“This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength,” Johnson said. “I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.”
The release date for the new “Moana” hasn’t been announced, but it will join a growing list of Disney’s animation-to-live-action productions, including “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin.”