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COURTESY ALEX KANG / DISNEY
From left, “Moana” directors John Musker and Ron Clements were joined by producer Osnat Shurer during a roundtable discussion about the new Disney animated film in Burbank, Calif.
JASON GENEGABUS / JGENEGABUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
A replica of a Polynesian voyaging canoe was on display at Disney’s Burbank animation studios for visiting members of the press today.
COURTESY ALEX KANG / DISNEY
“Moana” producer Osnat Shurer talks about the new Disney animated film during a media event in Burbank, Calif.
JASON GENEGABUS / JGENEGABUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
Drawings of characters from “Moana” hang on the walls of Disney’s Burbank animation studios.
JASON GENEGABUS / JGENEGABUS@STARADVERTISER.COM
“Moana” animators looked to authentic Polynesian items for inspiration, like this headdress from Moorea.
BURBANK, Calif. » Nearly five years after starting production, Disney’s new animated film “Moana” is barreling down the home stretch toward its Thanksgiving 2016 release.
Producer Osnat Shurer and the directing team of Ron Clements and John Musker were on hand today to participate in a media preview at Disney’s Burbank, Calif., animation studios along with other members of the production team.
“These are the last steps,” Shurer said. “It’s very, very exciting to be at this stage.
“‘Moana’ was inspired by the true history of the ancient Pacific Islanders, (who) were some of the greatest sailors in the world. They voyaged across the Pacific for thousands and thousands of years.”
Starring Hawaii resident Aulii Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the legendary Polynesian demigod Maui, “Moana” tells the story of a chief’s teenage daughter who discovers the connection between her family and ocean-voyaging relatives of generations past with help from her grandmother.
Guests at today’s preview viewed never-before-seen footage, including the film’s opening sequence and clips showing how Moana learned about her family’s voyaging heritage, the first time Moana meets Maui and a flashback showing Moana’s budding relationship with the ocean that surrounds her fictional home island of Motunui.
“Moana” is the 56th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It opens in theaters on Nov. 23.
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