When Auli'i Cravalho was cast in Disney's "Moana," the teen and her mom were living on food stamps. Cravalho, who voices the titular chieftan's daughter in "Moana," said in a recent interview with "People" that the pair were squeezed into a one-bedroom apartment in the Hawaiian city of Mililani when she got her big break.

Auli’i Cravalho’s breakout role as "Moana" was a transformative moment for both her budding career and her family’s journey.

Moana' and 'Moana 2' star Auliʻi Cravalho tells PEOPLE that she bought her mother, Puanani, a house after the Polynesian-inspired Disney movie changed the Hawaii native's life overnight: 'She's happil