Auli'i Cravalho, voice of Moana, surprises kids at Cohen Children's Medical Center
Mathew Waldinger, 11, of Forest Hills, stands with Auliʻi Cravalho, the voice of Moana, during her visit with patients and families at Cohen Children's Medical Center. Credit: Corey Sipkin
When Teagan Coyle, of Lindenhurst, hosts her 8th birthday party at a viewing of “Moana 2” after it opens in theaters next month, she’ll likely tell her guests how exciting it was to meet the actor who voices the animated Disney heroine at Cohen Children’s Medical Center on Tuesday.
Auli‘i Cravalho, the voice of Moana in both “Moana” and “Moana 2,” helped deliver 200 donated Halloween costumes for the children at the New Hyde Park hospital and met with pediatric patients and their parents. Teagan has had three open heart surgeries at Cohen to treat a congenital heart defect.
Cravalho told Teagan that she, too, has a birthday coming up. “I’m turning 24. I’m getting very, very old,” she joked.
Auli'i Cravalho autographs a picture for Dhanvie Kaylee Bissoon, 2, from Queens Village. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Cravalho, a native of Hawaii, was cast as Moana when she was 14, telling the tale of a Polynesian girl who lives on an island but longs to explore the ocean. Though she was set to perform on Broadway in “Cabaret” Tuesday night, Cravalho spent the morning with the patients to help The Walt Disney Co. and the Starlight Foundation deliver the costumes as well as books and stuffed toys.
Earlier this year, the online Disney store ran a promotion pledging that, for every Halloween costume purchased, the company would donate one costume up to a total of 20,000. Starlight is now distributing those donated costumes to 450 children’s hospitals across the United States, including Cohen, said Lauren Almeida, senior manager of partnerships for Starlight. After Tuesday's event, the remaining donated costumes for Cohen would be given to other patients and used when the hospital has a Halloween party on Oct. 31, said Demi Lonergan, special events and donations coordinator for the medical center.
Reese Pascarella, 9, of Dix Hills, has her photo take with actress Auli'i Cravalho. Credit: Corey Sipkin
When Ariya Khilall, 2, of Valley Stream, saw the costume rack, she insisted on immediately putting on a Tinker Bell outfit over her clothing. “She saw the wings and that was it,” said her mother Ashley Khilall, 34, a nurse. Ariya was at the hospital for blood testing for a suspected diagnosis, and she didn’t enjoy the testing, her mom said. “It’s great, because she’s all perked up now,” Ashley said.
Some of the dozen or so patients who attended were too young to know the story of Moana, but Matthew Waldinger, 11, of Forest Hills, quizzed Cravalho on details of the upcoming sequel, which opens in theaters Nov. 27. She joked that she was giving away spoilers. "You know the movie better than I do," she told Matthew, who was at the hospital for an appointment at its dental clinic that caters to children on the autism spectrum. She sang a few words of "We Know The Way" to Matthew, who also warbled the lyrics "away away."
“It’s so funny hearing your voice,” said Kelly Pascarella, of Dix Hills, who came to the event with her daughter, Reese, 9, a cancer survivor who was at the hospital for follow-up lab tests.
“I honestly have been hanging out with a lot of adults and it’s very boring. I’m happy to be here with people closer to my age group,” Cravalho said. “It’s nice to give back to people who enjoy the character. I’m as much a fan of her as anybody else.”
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.