‘Moana’: Meet The Cast & Characters

With just a few months to go until Moana finally opens in theaters, Walt Disney Animation Studios has officially announced that Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Temuera Morrison, Rachel House and Alan Tudyk will be joining newcomer Auli‘i Cravalho (Moana) and Dwayne Johnson (Maui) in the upcoming animated movie, which is being directed by Rob Clements and John Musker.

The studio has also released detailed descriptions for the characters they’re voicing along with posters for each and every one of them, which you can check out below.

Tamatoa
Jemaine Clement (“The BFG,” “Despicable Me,” “Rio,” “Rio 2,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” Flight of the Conchords) provides the voice of Tamatoa, a self-absorbed, 50-foot crab who lives in Lalotai, the realm of monsters. The conceited crustacean wants to be more than a “bottom feeder” and overcompensates for this perceived shortcoming by covering himself in all things shiny.
Tui and Sina
Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Once Were Warriors,” “Six Days, Seven Nights”) voices Moana’s father, Chief Tui, the gregarious and well-respected leader of the people of Motunui Island. Chief Tui wants Moana to follow in his footsteps as leader of their people, but fears his daughter’s draw to the ocean and the world that lies beyond their reef. Nicole Scherzinger (Grammy®-nominated singer, West End’s “Cats”) voices Moana’s mother, Sina, who always has her daughter’s back. Playful, sharp and strong-willed, Sina appreciates Moana’s longing to be on the water, but also wants to protect her daughter from the fabled dangers beyond the reef.
Gramma Tala
Rachel House (“Whale Rider,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”) lends her voice to Gramma Tala, Moana’s confidante and best friend, who shares her granddaughter’s special connection to the ocean. Although her son Tui, the chief of Motunui, is a no-nonsense leader, Gramma Tala most definitely dances to the beat of her own drum.
Heihei
Alan Tudyk, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ lucky charm (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Big Hero 6”), is behind the voice of Heihei. Heihei is one dumb rooster—the village idiot, in fact. When the clueless chicken accidently stows away on Moana’s canoe, he lands a front-row seat for her epic journey.

We also have a few brand new character posters for Moana and her pit pig, Pua, as well as Maui and the Kakamora, who are apparently some sort of crazy pirates.

MoanaMaui PuaKakamora

Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows why.  From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auliʻi Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.

Maoana opens in theaters on November 23, 2016. Are you excited?

Michael Bezanidis

Michael Bezanidis

Michael is the Managing Editor of Heroic Hollywood. When he's not playing video games, he's usually writing about film and television.