Amanda Johnson 
Most of the time, a trip to your local big box store is pretty uneventful. Two little girls from Hawaii recently had a great experience at Costco that proves it can be exciting once in a while.
Ryley-8 and Rylyn-6, accompanied their mother Rella Rivera, to stock up at Costco when they had the time of their young lives.
They were just going along, happily tagging along with their mom when, lo and behold, they saw one of their favorite Disney characters in the flesh!
As they neared the register area of the store to check out, the girls exclaimed that Maui from Disney’s Moana stood just feet away from them. They could hardly contain themselves.
In case you have been living under a rock, and you don’t know who Maui is or which movie he comes from, I’ll give you the rundown.
Moana is a recent film by Disney Pixar. It features Moana, a sassy and adventurous teenager who sets off on a dangerous mission. She has to save the people of her island. Along the way, she meets demigod Maui, who was once all powerful. He helps her her to figure out how to become a master way-finder. The two of them voyage across the ocean, running into scary monsters and overcoming great odds. The trek helps Moana realize the ancient quest of the ancestors of herself and her people and ends up discovering her own sense of self, without even realizing that’s what she was looking for all along.
The film has been celebrated for its strong female main character whose storyline doesn’t revolve around being saved by a prince, as is typical of older Disney films.
It quickly became one of the most popular films to come from the Pixar studio. The soundtrack has also become very popular. Parents and children alike seem to love it!
William Va’ana was just minding his business, running his register when he heard the girls squeal with delight to have spotted him and recognized him as looking like the demigod, voiced by The Rock, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson.
He was thrilled to play along with the little girls, much to their delight. He seemed to enjoy the attention.
It is actually uncanny how much the 42 year old looks like the Pixar character. He sports the same long, flowing, curly locks as Maui and his arms are covered in tattoos, just like the character he so resembles.
He told the girls and their mom that he had actually dressed as Maui before. He certainly embraces the fact that he looks so much like this popular Disney Pixar Star.
Photos from his social media show him sporting the signature grass skirt that Maui wears in the movie. He also carried the beautiful fish hook.
He brought the sweet girls to join him behind the register to shout Maui’s catchphrase “CHEE HOO!”
Their mother said it brought her a whole lot of joy to see how happy the girls were interacting with the real life version of a beloved character.
She couldn’t get her camera out fast enough to catch all the action, but said he lit up their faces when he hollered the catchphrase for them.
They now enjoy their trips to Costco, and they always go hang out with their new friend, and he gives them a big “chee hoo” each time.
Upon sharing their experience online with the video Rella shot of her girls’ encounter with William, they learned that many others had noticed his resemblance to Maui, as well.
Other parents shared photos of the friendly cashier with their kids, too. They told her that he was always up for a little fun with the kids whenever they go shopping at the Kapolei Costco.
The video Rella posted of her girls and William has nearly 80,000 views on YouTube. People love it so much that they have gone so far as to call the store and insisted this kind man be given a raise.
This is not nearly the experience my kids and I have ever had in any store. We are used to pretty boring shopping trips. What a great guy this real life Maui is!
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