14 year old Auli'i Cravalho to voice Moana 

More Food More Pets More Red Carpet More TV Watch More Unfiltered More Country

\'This Was Supposed to Be an Easy Run,\' Says Heartbroken Father of One of the 28 Missing Americans on Board El Faro Cargo Ship

Start Stocking Up! There Could Be a Canned-Pumpkin Shortage This Fall

George Clooney On His and Amal\'s One-Year Anniversary: \'We Sure Are Having Fun\'

Cover Story: At Home with Donald Trump and Family!

Judge Overturns Conviction for Man Found Guilty in 1990 Subway Murder

Adrienne Bailon on Rob Kardashian Reconcilation Rumors: \'He\'s a Great Guy\'

Going on Between Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani

Jim Carrey\'s Late Girlfriend Cathriona White Married Husband in Las Vegas: See the Marriage License

These Stars Think You Should Adopt A Rescue Dog, Too

Chickens, Granted Legal Rights, Run Rampant in Texas Town

VIDEO: Joe Giudice on Wife Teresa\'s Jail Time: \'I Was to Blame\'

Princess Charlotte\'s Grandma Carole Middleton Shops the Baby Racks in London

Meet the Next Disney Princess – and Get a First Look at Her Movie,

Like many little girls, Auli\'i Cravalho of Oahu wanted to be a Disney princess.

"From baby time to now, I wanted to be a Disney princess and then I wanted to be a singer or an actress," the 14-year-old recalls.

But when Disney Animation began searching for a girl to voice the lead in its next princess movie

– about a young teen from 2,000 years ago who sets sail to fulfill her ancestors\' quest – Cravalho didn\'t think she was good enough to audition.

Native Hawaiian Auliíi Cravalho, 14, voices Disney\'s newest princess

"I was getting through my freshman year, and there were already so many great submissions over YouTube," the 14-year-old Native Hawaiian tells PEOPLE, which features an exclusive first look at the movie in this week\'s issue.

Good thing a fairy godmother (a.k.a. an Oahu casting agent) was looking out for Cravalho. After the agent discovered the teen\'s singing talents during a charity competition, Cravalho was whisked off to Los Angeles, where directors Ron Clements and John Musker (

cast her opposite Dwayne Johnson in the animated film, set for release on Nov. 23, 2016.

"Moana is such an amazing character," says Cravalho, who lives in the town of Mililani with her mother, Puanani. "She’s brave, she is so empowered, she knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to get it, and I think that’s something that I can relate to as well. I just love watching how she goes along in this wonderful movie and grows as a person and helps her culture along the way."

Cravalho is especially excited to work alongside Johnson, who will play a demigod named Maui whom Moana encounters during her travels.

"I am very excited about that, my gosh," says Cravalho, a soprano who participates in her school\'s glee club. "I’ve never heard him sing before so it’s going to be really interesting!"

, pick up this week\'s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson also stars in

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

The Swedish Royals, Reese Witherspoon, David Beckham & More!

Barefaced and Beautiful: Celebs\' Best Makeup-Free Selfies

Kris\'s Krew: Proof She\'s Friends with Everyone

Hungry Girl Lightens Up Taylor Swift\'s Favorite Sweet Potato Casserole

VIDEO: Aww! Tim McGraw Shows His Romantic Side in Clip Celebrating His and Faith Hill\'s Wedding Anniversary

Why Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kirstie Alley Aren\'t Speaking

Chris Pratt Flashed Amy Poehler?! Hear His Take – And See Her Reaction

Thank you for signing up! Your request may take up to one week to be processed.