‘Moana 2’ Star Auliʻi Cravalho Spills On Her Sweet Gift To Mom Who Gave Her ‘Everything’

Auliʻi Cravalho — the voice behind the title character of the animated film “Moana 2” — recently revealed the big way she showed love to her mother, Puanani Cravalho, after the release of the first movie in 2016.
Auliʻi Cravalho, in an interview with People magazine, said her mother raised her on food stamps while growing up in her native Hawaii and noted that her family lived in a one-bedroom apartment in the city of Mililani on the island of Oʻahu.
“I slept in the bedroom, my mom slept on the couch. She gave me everything,” she told the magazine.
“Moana,” which served as Cravalho’s acting debut, would eventually gross over $687 million at the global box office and earn a number of accolades including two Academy Awards nominations.
That success led to a sweet gift for her mother.
“I bought my mommy a house. She’s happily retired,” Cravalho said of her mother, who voices a villager in the first film.
The actor has gone on to star in several films since “Moana,” including “All Together Now,” “Crush,” “Darby and the Dead” and the “Mean Girls” musical film from earlier this year.
Cravalho and Maui voice actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson return to their roles in the hit movie’s sequel, which made history by earning a reported $221 million at the domestic box office, the biggest five-day opening for a film in history.
“Moana 2” also set the record for the best Thanksgiving weekend opening for a film and the biggest debut ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios movie, breaking a record previously set by “Frozen 2.”
The actor told People that she stays connected to both her mother and her father, Dwayne Cravalho, as she weighed in on how parents give their children “so much.”
“Kids feel a little indebted, I’m going to be honest!” she said. “But we feel so grateful for our parents’ sacrifices.”
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