Is Moana a princess? Star Auli’i Cravalho has the definitive answer about the Disney heroine

“You probably won’t see Moana in a ballgown,” quips the actress.

Ever since 2016’s Moana, fans have debated whether the titular heroine is an official Disney princess.

She’s the daughter of a chief and a wayfinder, but a princess? Technically speaking, no. In Moana 2, hitting theaters on Nov. 27, the character states that she’s not a princess, to which Maui (Dwayne Johnson) replies, “Well, a lot of people think that you are.”

But Auli’i Cravalho, who has voiced Moana across two films, sees the category of Disney princess as a little more fluid. “Films are always representative of their times,” she says. “For today’s day and age, we want to see a young woman being the hero of her own story. So, yeah, she is a princess, but she’s also a hero. I like that those two words are now interchangeable.”

Still, Cravalho says Moana is unlikely to join a cavalcade of Disney princesses gussied up in finery. “You probably won’t see Moana in a ballgown,” she quips. “And that’s fine.” At any rate, she is included in much of Disney’s merchandising as a member of the Disney Princess line-up.

One thing that sets Moana apart as a Disney princess is her lack of a prince or other romantic interest. For Cravalho, that’s a huge part of Moana’s appeal. “I feel it’s really important to have characters go on their own hero’s journey of finding themselves, not necessarily finding a love interest or the love of their lives,” she says. “I really applaud our filmmakers for sticking with that as well because she is so interesting on her own. She doesn’t need anybody else!”

Whether audiences consider Moana a princess or not, she remains a huge favorite. Moana has consistently ranked among the top streaming titles on Disney+ year after year. Producer and Moana 2 co-writer Jared Bush has some thoughts on why she’s so popular. “She’s this unbelievable, dynamic hero who’s brave and will never stop taking on the world,” he reflects. “And then she’s deeply empathetic. She cares about everyone. She cares about her family and her community. There’s some aspirational part of her as a character that people gravitate toward.”

All of that is what a true princess is made of.

Moana 2 picks up three years after the first film, as she continues to explore the ocean around Motunui, looking for signs of life beyond their island. After she uncovers a mysterious pottery fragment, she receives a call from her ancestor, Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), who urges her to sail across the ocean and connect with other people of the Pacific, lest her people wither away in isolation. With a new crew in tow, Moana sets out on her biggest journey yet, taking on supernatural forces with a little help from Maui.