Disney announced Monday that it will be launching "Moana", an animated film with a new heroine, for a late 2016 release, reports Entertainment Weekly.
"Moana" is described as the story of "a spirited teenager on an impossible mission to fulfill her ancestors' quest."
"It's set in the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, and Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her incredible journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore," says the official synopsis in a Disney post.
The CG-animated film will be helmed by directors Ron Clements and John Musker. Both of them have previously worked together on several other animated films such as "Aladdin", "The Princess and the Frog", and "The Little Mermaid", among others.
"Moana is indomitable, passionate and a dreamer with a unique connection to the ocean itself," Musker said in a statement. "She's the kind of character we all root for, and we can't wait to introduce her to audiences."
"The announcement of said film, along with the fact that they are not remotely trying to hide the female-centric nature of the story, goes to show that come what may, Walt Disney is not backing down from providing female-centric entertainment to go alongside their Star Wars and Avengers entries," writes Scott Mendelson of Forbes.com.
"There were signs that Walt Disney's features department was somewhat abandoning or somewhat fearful of explicitly targeting the key young female demographic that had made them one of the preeminent entertainment empires," Mendelson says in his article.
"But the end result of the success of Frozen and Maleficent is to reaffirm Walt Disney's commitment to female-centric motion pictures alongside the likes of Wreck It Ralph and Big Hero 6 and to reaffirm the financial wisdom of such a strategy," he adds.