Disney has cast a 14-year-old Hawaii girl to be the voice of the main character in its upcoming animated feature “Moana,” the studio announced today. 

Auli’i Cravalho, of Mililani, will be Moana, the spirited teenager who wants to become a master navigator in ancient Oceania. She will join Dwayne Johnson who will be the voice of the demigod Maui.

Cravalho didn’t think she had much of a chance at the part, which attracted hundreds of people eager to be the new Disney heroine, the studio said in a press release. Cravalho said in the release that she simply focused on her schoolwork. (Where she attends was not released.)

“I didn’t think I would have a chance,” she said in the release. “When I was little, I used to dance around the house singing at the top of my lungs. In my mind, that was performing and I loved the feeling of it. But I never imagined being in a Disney movie, being Moana — representing my culture in that way.”

According to the studio, the story takes place 2,000 years ago in Oceania where Moana — “a spirited teenager on an impossible mission to fulfill her ancestors’ quest” — sets sail for a fabled island. During her journey, Moana teams up with Maui, and together they encounter “enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore.”

Veteran filmmakers Ron Clements and John Musker, who created “The Little Mermaid,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “Aladdin,” will lead the project.

They were impressed with Cravalho’s talent.

“Auli’i demonstrated a certain fearlessness in her auditions and call-backs,” Musker said. “She has a playful, mischievous wit. She can project vulnerability, she doesn’t seem intimidated at all by the challenges ahead, and her Polynesian background has helped shape her connection to family, hard work and music. These are all qualities she shares with Moana.”