Auliʻi Cravalho

Auliʻi Cravalho is an American actress, singer, and producer. She is best known for voicing the titular role of Moana in Disney's 2016 animated musical adventure film Moana, a role that brought Hawaiian culture to global audiences. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over $687 million worldwide and earning Cravalho critical acclaim. She has since expanded her career into live-action films, television, and stage productions, appearing in projects such as the Hulu film Crush, the Amazon Prime Video series The Power, and stage musicals including Evita and Cabaret. Cravalho is recognized for her distinctive voice and her advocacy for underrepresented communities and environmental causes. Fans connect with her authenticity and her willingness to share her experiences, including health challenges. As of 2026, she continues her multifaceted artistic journey with upcoming roles and production work, including Zootopia 2 and the live-action Moana.[edit]

Born Chloe Auliʻi Cravalho on November 22, 2000, in Kohala, Hawaii, USA, she spent her early years in her birthplace and later Mililani. Growing up in a close-knit, single-parent household supported by her mother, Puanani, Cravalho navigated early challenges with a strong sense of identity and resilience. Her family relied on modest means, including federal assistance, to make ends meet, a reality that shaped her upbringing in rural Hawaii. With a rich background that blends Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, and Irish roots, Cravalho developed a profound love for performing amid the everyday life on the island.

As she progressed through her education, Cravalho attended Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, a place that nurtured her burgeoning talents. There, she sang soprano in the glee club and explored various creative interests, honing her abilities in music and acting. By her high school freshman year, at just 14 years old, she had already shown a remarkable knack for these artistic pursuits. It was during this time that a pivotal opportunity arose: she submitted a video audition from her bedroom for Disney's animated feature, Moana. Her submission stood out among thousands of entries, catching the studio's discerning eye. This moment marked a significant turning point, directly leading to her being cast as the film's titular lead, a role that would soon propel her into the international spotlight.

Before her breakthrough with Moana, Cravalho diligently balanced her school life with aspirations for a larger stage. Her academic promise was evident when she earned acceptance to Columbia University in 2021 to study environmental science. However, she chose to postpone her collegiate path, focusing instead on her burgeoning career, which had already seen early engagements such as an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015. These foundational steps, blending her deep Hawaiian roots with an undeniable drive, defined her formative years and set the stage for her subsequent success. [edit]

Auliʻi Cravalho's career took off with her breakout role as the voice of Moana in Disney's 2016 animated film, which drew praise for its authentic portrayal of Polynesian culture and grossed over $687 million worldwide. She followed this with memorable performances, like reprising Moana in Ralph Breaks the Internet in 2018 and the 2024 sequel Moana 2, which became another box office hit. Her work extended to live-action, including leading roles in NBC's Rise and Netflix's All Together Now, where she shared the screen with legends like Carol Burnett.

By 2023, Cravalho had conquered Broadway with her turn as Eva Perón in Evita and Sally Bowles in Cabaret in 2024, earning acclaim for her powerful vocals and stage presence. She's also stepped behind the camera as an executive producer on the live-action Moana, set for release in 2026, and voiced characters in Disney's Hailey's On It!. With over 42 credits by 2026, including upcoming projects like Zootopia 2, her influence grows through both her art and her advocacy for cultural representation and environmental issues. [edit]

Media and fans view Auliʻi Cravalho as a grounded, resilient role model who brings authentic Hawaiian and Polynesian representation to mainstream entertainment. Her public persona blends island authenticity with dynamic stage presence; she is often described as warm, genuine, and culturally proud. On social media, Cravalho's voice is warm, authentic, and playful, mixing career updates with cultural pride and advocacy for underrepresented voices. Her aesthetic reflects her heritage—she frequently incorporates Hawaiian elements into her style, and her content tone is positive, advocacy-oriented, and empowering. Fans celebrate her impact on Polynesian representation and her bisexual identity announcement; there is no official fandom name, but fans engage through Moana sing-alongs and support her environmental and peace advocacy. Cravalho is portrayed as a down-to-earth talent who navigates fame with humility and a strong sense of identity.[edit]

Auliʻi Cravalho is currently the 23rd most famous person in Disney, a position she has held steady through the latest cycle of global attention. This standing reflects her enduring resonance as a cultural icon who bridged animation and live performance while championing Polynesian representation on a massive scale. Her fanbase, deeply intertwined with the legacy of Moana, operates without a formal moniker, distinguishing them from communities with codified names like Beyoncé's Beyhive or Swifties. Instead, the community coalesces around her specific roles and social media presence, where her bio, "I play pretend very seriously", has become a touchstone for followers across Instagram and Facebook. While the group lacks the infrastructure for large-scale streaming campaigns or billboard drives seen in major pop fandoms, their loyalty spans over a decade, following her journey from a teenager auditioning in a bedroom to an adult navigating complex career transitions. Fans celebrated her gracious handling of passing the torch for the live-action Moana to Catherine Lagaʻaia, viewing her personal support emails as a defining moment of grace. The audience also rallied behind her advocacy for the Native Hawaiian language dub, reinforcing their connection to her authenticity. Though they engage through standard digital interaction and fan art rather than organized protests, their devotion remains consistent, celebrating her candid discussions about industry "droughts" and her evolution beyond the character that made her famous.[edit]

Auliʻi Cravalho auditioned for Moana in her bedroom wearing a ukulele-strapped bikini, a quirky moment that helped her land the role. She is the first lead in a Hawaiian-language Disney dub, highlighting her cultural impact. Cravalho has deferred Columbia University twice for her career, showing her commitment to acting over academics. She publicly identified as bisexual in 2020 and signed a 2023 letter calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, reflecting her activism. A foundational legend among fans is the story of her discovery: she was the last person out of hundreds to audition for the title role, a narrative that frames her casting as a fairytale victory against overwhelming odds. Another iconic moment occurred when she facilitated the transition to the live-action Moana remake by personally emailing new star Catherine Lagaʻaia to offer encouragement before filming began, a gesture widely praised as classy and supportive. Additionally, her casting as Jessica Cruz in the DC animated universe for the My Adventures with Green Lantern spinoff marked a verified expansion into superhero territory, signaling her versatility beyond her Disney princess origins. These stories, ranging from the verified details of her audition to the folklore surrounding her final selection, form the core mythology of her career.[edit]

Auliʻi Cravalho was raised by her mother, Puanani, an administrative assistant, after her parents divorced when she was young. Her father, Dwayne, stayed out of the public eye, and the family lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Hawaii, often relying on food stamps. Cravalho has no publicly known siblings, and her close bond with her mother shaped her resilient spirit and cultural pride. [edit]

Cravalho frequently collaborates with Dwayne Johnson on the Moana franchise and has shared screens with Toni Collette in The Power and Carol Burnett in All Together Now. Directors like Ron Clements and John Musker have worked with her on Disney projects, while her Broadway roles connect her to theater greats. [edit]

Auliʻi Cravalho's dating life has remained relatively private, with only a few confirmed relationships in her early career. She first dated Andrew Higa, a high school classmate from Kamehameha Schools, starting around 2018; they parted ways in 2019 after a low-key romance. In 2021, rumors linked her to a musician named Kai, with the pair seen together on social media, but this ended by 2022 and was never fully confirmed by Cravalho.

She came out as bisexual in April 2020 via Instagram, marking a personal milestone, but no other partners have been publicly noted since. As of 2026, Cravalho is single, focusing on her professional endeavors and maintaining a low profile in her personal affairs, with recent interviews confirming no current relationships. [edit]

Heading into 2026, iFANN currently estimates Auliʻi Cravalho's net worth at $5 Million, built mainly from her work in the entertainment industry. Her earnings stem from voice acting in the Moana films, where she earned around $1.5 million from salaries, sequels, and merchandise royalties, Moana 2 alone added significant income after grossing over $750 million globally. She pulls in $500,000 to $1 million per lead role in films and TV shows, such as her $800,000 paycheck for Mean Girls in 2024 and $400,000 per season for The Power. Additional revenue comes from theater gigs like Evita and Cabaret, which brought in over $100,000 each, plus endorsement deals worth $500,000 from Disney partnerships and Hawaiian tourism campaigns. Her role as executive producer on the live-action Moana could boost her finances further. Over the past few years, her net worth has grown steadily, rising from $3 million in 2024, thanks to these steady streams and no major public investments or real estate holdings reported.[edit]

Auliʻi Cravalho has earned recognition for her voice work, winning awards that highlight her talent in animation. She took home the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting for Moana in 2017, along with the Best Animated Female prize from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists that same year. [edit]