Good Lifestyle

Recently, Disney released the long-awaited trailer for the live-action Moana, one of the most anticipated productions of recent times. With this, we were able to follow a little of the performance of the new interpreter of the film's protagonist, actress Catherine Laga'aia, who will replace Auli'i Cravalho, who gave voice to the character in the animations.

Below, we have separated some details about Catherine Laga’aia’s life and career so that you can get to know the actress a little better before the premiere of Moana, which is scheduled for July 2026.

Who is it?

Catherine Laga’aia was born on December 17, 2006 and, at just 18 years old, she is already considered one of the great talents of a new generation of actors. Born in Sydney, Australia, she is the daughter of actor Jay Laga'aia, who has a considerable history in Hollywood productions, such as Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, when he gave life to the character Captain Typho.

Family roots

As already seen, due to the influence of her father, Catherine grew up in a world surrounded by the performing arts, which put her in contact with the artistic universe from a very early age. Furthermore, his family has roots in Samoa, one of the countries in Oceania that closely resembles the fictional island of Motunui, where Moana takes place.

As if this “coincidence” wasn’t enough, the Samoan people, from which Catherine’s family originated, are well known for their strong connection with music, culture, traditions and ancestry that go back a few millennia, as well as the entire story portrayed in Moana.

"I'm really excited to play this character because Moana is one of my favorites. My grandfather is from Fa'aala, Palauli, on Savai'i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai, on the main island of 'Upolu, in Samoa. I feel honored to have the opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all the people of the Pacific Islands, and to represent girls who look like me," said the actress once it was revealed that she would bring the character to life.

Praised for “original” Moana

For those who think that Moana's original performer in the animation, Auli'i Cravalho, was irritated at being “replaced”, you couldn't be more wrong. This is because Auli’i Cravalho is one of the executive producers of the new film and was full of praise for Catherine.

"When I think about a movie with live actors, I want her to feel like that young, determined 16-year-old who's going to save her home island from a man-made imbalance. She's a very beautiful young black woman. She's very brave to be in that canoe with Dwayne Johnson," said Auli'i Cravalho.

First appearance in cinema

With the release of Moana in July 2026, this will be Catherine Laga’aia’s debut on the big screen. The actress has already had some appearances in series, such as The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, on Prime Video. On that occasion, she brought to life the character Candy Blue.

Impressive impact

The Moana live-action teaser was an absolute success on Disney's official YouTube channel, as the production has already reached more than 7.9 million views in less than 15 days since its release and has surpassed more than 13 thousand comments.

But, as not everything is rosy, several users pointed out in the comments section that it has only been about 9 years since the original film was released, and there is no need for Disney to produce a live-action remake of Moana in such a short time.

Furthermore, they also argue that this is simply the company's strategy to exploit a franchise as established as Moana, as the first animation grossed an incredible US$643 million, while the sequel was even more successful, grossing more than US$1 billion at the worldwide box office.