Okinawan Tomona Yabiku plays voice of Moana

22-year old aspiring Okinawan actress Tomona Yabiku is the voice of the main character in the Japanese release of Disney’s latest animation movie “Moana” that is currently playing on base theaters and scheduled for release in Japan on Mar. 10,

A press conference to announce her selection was held Tuesday in Hawaii, and it was also announced on the movie’s official website. At the press conference, Yabiku said, “I couldn’t believe it when I heard of my selection. I woke up in the next morning, and still couldn’t believe many times.”

Yabiku is currently a 4th year student at the University of Ryukyus. She was selected to be the voice of the film’s main character in the Japanese dubbing of the film.

Yabiku will make her debut in the movie, not only as a voice actress but also as a singer who sings the theme song. It’s quite exceptional that a new actress is selected to play the main role in a Disney’s movie. According to Disney, Yabiku won the audition held through last spring and summer that was the largest in Disney’s history.

Yabiku is studying hard to polish her performance and singing by playing roles in musicals as an amateur. She plans to move to Tokyo to pursue a career as an actress after graduating the university.