She made her acting debut as the voice of the title character in the Disney animated musical film Moana (2016) and reprised her role in the 2024 sequel.

Cravalho was born in Kohala, Hawaii,[4] and is of Chinese, Native Hawaiian, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, and Irish descent.

[8] In June 2021, Cravalho announced that she had been accepted into Columbia University and subsequently revealed that she planned to major in environmental science.

[17] However, a talent agent in Oahu discovered her through a charity video contest and brought her to Los Angeles to audition for the role.

[29] In 2020, Cravalho participated in Acting for a Cause, a live classic play and screenplay reading series created, directed and produced by Brando Crawford.

[citation needed] In 2023, it was announced that Cravalho would be an executive producer on the upcoming live-action adaptation of Moana but would not reprise the titular role.

[33] In July 2024, it was announced that Cravalho will take over the role of Sally Bowles in the Broadway production of Cabaret beginning September 16.