Apparently Disney is doing a casting search for an actress to play the title character/new princess in the upcoming movie "Moana" and it is most likely a musical because they are looking for a strong singer...
What do you all make of this? And who would you like to see play Moana? I'm personally going with Rachelle Ann Go! Moana casting call
I really wish I could audition, but sadly my voice impairment has cut me out of the competition :/
Rachelle sounds way too old (they're looking for 14-18 yr olds), but I'd love to see Eva (Miss Saigon) as Moana! I'd love to see Janel Parrish from Pretty Little Liars as Moana because she has the Polynesian culture and Broadway/theatre experience! Minus her ethincy, Sam Barks would be a great choice with her film/theatre credit and huge energy. But, a newcomer would be fantastic as Moana! Giving a new comer to shine and a major dream to come true. Oh and...
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will officially be Maui!
Dwayne Johnson @TheRock · 4h 4 hours ago Excited to star as "Maui" in Disney's next big animated musical, MOANA. Incredible story! **clears throat #TimeToSing http://bit.ly/1pTnS8r
Aida, I would love, love, love to have Laura to be Moana, but people on Tumblr are calling out white girls who are auditioning for Moana, so there'll be no way in hell that Laura would get Moana. Same with Sam. She'd be perfect, but people would again, go crazy. There needs to be a Polynesian actress, anyway. I can definitely imagine them for Giants, especially Laura!
Jeffery: Inglese Ete is the new composer for Moana. And the music already sounds epic! (Read the article)
Jesus, why do people get so bent out of shape when one role is likely not to go to a white person? Can't people of color, who are sorely underrepresented in the media, actually play themselves? The white actors you mentioned are very talented, but there's enough **** out there for white actors. It isn't "PC" to cast a Polynesian actress in this role, it's the right thing to do. And yes, it does matter, whether we see the actor or not.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
No, no, no: I want the actress who's Moana to be Polynesian, I was just explaining to Aida why the actress will be Polynesian. I wasn't trying to complain at all. And I'm sorry if it sounds like I was
Who cares what race the actress is! IT'S AN ANIMATED MOVIE! We only hear the voice. As long as she sounds young and like a teenager what difference would it make?!
Sorry disneybroadway- I just assumed because the term PC is almost always used by people who are complaining.
You argue that we don't see the actor, but we'll know who she is, right? She'll attend premieres and pose for photographs, likely next to images of the character. It isn't as if it's just a random voice coming out of nowhere. And because of that, it does matter because it's a matter of representation. Given the severe underrepresentation of actors of color in Hollywood, it would frankly be insulting to have a white actor play this role. I really don't know why anything more needs to be said in regards to the matter.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
I'm respect all colors and race. I'm just saying why does it matter if she has to be Polynesian? Linda Larkin is white and she still does the voice for Jasmine!
I said "politically correct" because a lot of people would complain if the actress for Moana is white. Users on Tumblr are already shaming white actresses who are hoping to audition for Moana.
If her ethnicity doesn't matter, why shouldn't she be Polynesian?
There are plenty of actors out there who are already restricted from roles due to their ethnicity. There's nothing wrong with the powers that be (and indeed, people in this thread) stretching their casting muscles a bit beyond the usual parade of white actresses. Why give it to someone with no ties to the islands of the Pacific when you could do the right thing, and, well, not? Why give it to an actor, who, due to their being white/white-passing already has the upper hand in being cast in so many other roles? Isn't there something to be said for an intangible authenticity with using actors of Polynesian descent? Even if it's just their voice?
And if your problem is that you can't think of any actors of Polynesian descent, well, there you go.
As for the Aladdin defense: That was the very early 90s. If Aladdin were being made today, you can bet more actors of Middle Eastern descent would've been cast as the voices (I suppose, they didn't quite do that on Broadway, but at least it wasn't a stage full of brownface).
And "PC" is a trite and overused term. Move on and use something else.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
Well, I have mixed feelings about the minority slant when it comes to voice actors. I get the whole argument about offering more opportunity where there was little or none before... But.
First of all, I think ethnicity matters much more only when there's a desire/need for accents. For 2nd-generation and younger offspring of ethnic immigrants, however, our accents are usually completely Americanized in a generic sense. In that case, it doesn't matter. However, there are regional and subculture accents, that can be severely abused--
It's really the racial stereotypy on screen that's the most important when it comes to presenting racial values to younger generations. Think of the early Disney films like Lady and the Tramp that painted the Asian-accented slant-eyed cats as sly antagonists, or using "black"-sounding voice actors in a similar manner (antagonists, comic relief only, etc.) on matched "minority-looking" characters. That's far worse, in my opinion, than using a Caucasian VA for a minority-looking animated character.
In this case, if Disney were after some kind of authentic setting, finding Polynesian VAs carrying that local accent would be pretty cool. But it's also risky, because there's a reason the vanilla "Midwest accent" is used in virtually all mass media (it's a pretty standard, understandable accent).
Just keep in mind that the real target audience for these things don't care about the VAs behind the film but rather what is represented on screen, both visually and aurally.