First Look: Nicole Scherzinger Joins Voice Cast of Disney's MOANA

The highly anticipated Disney animated feature film MOANA, with music from HAMILTON Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda and featuring fellow stage star Phillipa Soo, includes another stage vet in its voice cast: Nicole Scherzinger.

Just weeks after it was revealed that London's 'Grizabella' would not be reprising her role in CATS on Broadway, Walt Disney Studios has announced that the singer will voice Moana's mother, Sina, in the film. Temuera Morrison voices Moana's father, Chief Tui, and Rachel House takes the role of Gramma Tala.

According to Disney press notes, Scherzinger's character "always has her daughter's back. Playful, sharp and strong-willed, Sina appreciates Moana's longing to be on the water, but also wants to protect her daughter from the fabled dangers beyond the reef."

Check out a first look at Scherzinger's animated character below and click here for full voice cast details and all-new MOANA character posters!

About the movie: Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast South Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped - and no one today knows why. From Walt DisneyAnimation Studios comes "Moana," a sweeping, CG-animated adventure about a spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and fulfill her ancestors' unfinished quest.

During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli'i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous fiery creatures and impossible odds. Directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker ("The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," "The Princess & the Frog"), Moana is produced by Osnat Shurer ("Lifted," "One Man Band").

The animated feature sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.