At the recently concluded D23 Expo this past weekend, Disney unveiled the latest addition to its roster of princesses, Moana.
Slashfilm describes Moana as:
Moana introduces a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to fulfill her ancestors' unfinished quest. She meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage.
The film will be set in the South Pacific and will borrow heavily from the local folkore and culture. It takes place nearly 2000 years before the present day. At the event Disney showed off some footage from the film. Here is IGN's breakdown of the clip:
A really lovely, beautifully animated sequence was also shown, after we were told that the Pacific Ocean itself was a character in the film - reflecting the belief that the ocean is alive. In the scene, Moana is a toddler, who begins to take tentative steps into the ocean... which then parts in front of her, the water holding itself back so she can walk forward, collecting sea shells. Water tentacles, a la The Abyss, rise out of the ocean, smiling at her and playfully splashing water on her head, which she loves. She is finally gently put back on the shore via a shell she is given to ride upon and when she waves back at the ocean, a tentacle reaches out to wave in return. The image of the very young Moana than shifts as we see her as a determined-looking teenage girl, starring out at the sea, many years later.
The film will hit theatres on November 23, 2016. Some of the names attached to the project include the aformentioned Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson as the island god Maui. Tony Award winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda will be contributing to the film's score along with Grammy Winner Mark Mancina
