Please let this be true — rumor has it Fifth Harmony’s Dinah Jane will voice Princess Moana
We don’t mean to sound the alarm, but SOUND THE ALARM: Dinah Jane Hansen, one of the members of X Factor-winning idols(/maybe secret superheroines?) Fifth Harmony, is possibly becoming the next Disney Princess, and we are absolutely here. for. this.
Disney’s next film, the musical Moana, takes place in the islands of the South Pacific, presumably centered around the Polynesian island chain. The official concept art makes it clear that this is very much an epic adventure film, with the two main character designs (Moana and Maui) still yet to be unveiled.
Maui’s voice has already been cast, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson embodying the demigod (fitting, since he’s also played Hercules). What makes Johnson doubly perfect for the character, though, is that he’s very vocal about his Samoan heritage, meaning that Disney’s casting an actual Pacific Islander to voice a Pacific Islander character.
With that in mind, Hansen is also a perfect fit — she’s of Polynesian and Tongan heritage, and definitely has the singing chops to take lead on the vocals. But lest you think we’re just fancasting…
Hansen doesn’t have any sort of part in Johnson’s film San Andreas, and no other member of Fifth Harmony attended its premiere. Could this be that the two lead Moana cast members are already hanging out together? The likelihood that the two are connected in any other way is unlikely, so this must be the cast, right?? We haven’t heard any official word about who will be crowned the next Disney princess, but c’mon, Hansen is basically a princess already — why not confirm it, and deliver another respectful, significant casting choice?
Disney, historically speaking, hasn’t always been the best with cultural sensitivity, but the films from the past few decades have been interesting and respectful character/culture explorations, and Dinah Jane’s casting would fit right in with that. Fingers crossed that this rumor is true, and that Disney gives us the first Pacific Islander princess, not just in name.
