Fourth-grader Kinsey Reul plays Moana in the Maui Prep production.

NAPILI — Disney’s string of animated hits are always a delight to the senses, from the tiniest details in the animation to the songs that pulse through the ears. Even the heartstrings are tugged by the life lessons that the animated heroes learn along the way.

Disney’s “Moana,” the hit 2016 film, is no exception. As Moana voyages across the ocean on a quest to save her village, she embarks upon a journey of self discovery, learning that making mistakes is part of the process and finding inner strength that she never imagined.

Longtime Maui Prep faculty and Director of Arts Vania Jerome is thrilled with the play selection, saying, “This show is beloved by so many and has brought an important focus on the Polynesian culture that we strive to teach our students.”

The young performers preparing for Maui Prep’s four-show run of “Moana Jr.” are tracing Moana’s steps through the movie’s plot and experiencing her growth in much of the same way.

Directors Krist Scott, Jerome and Jackie Dowsett stand at the helm of 44 elementary school students who are bringing the story to life on the stage at the Bozich Center for Athletics and Performing Arts.

Despite the cast’s young age, the directors are giving their actors, including fourth grade classmates Kinsey Reul (Moana) and Paxton Bailey (Maui), the full theater experience.

They look forward to the bright lights of the stage and the approval of the audience, while preparing themselves for hiccups that come with live theater — missing cues, forgetting lines and stage jitters.

Students auditioned in front of the directors over a few days in early January, then committed to rehearsals after school and on weekends leading up to the premiere on Friday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m.

The show is driven by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s catchy tunes (sung live by the cast) and the imaginative costumes and scenery coordinated by parents Jennifer Kasper and Hege Hanssen.

They seek to capture the “Disney magic,” but still manage to put their own mark on the production. Instead of complicated set pieces, the actors form the ocean waves that Moana faces aboard her voyaging vessel.

Tomatoa and his lair of shiny loot is reimagined with more students dressed in glittery costumes, and the crab’s shell is peppered with “Easter eggs” by prop master Jennifer Kasper.

The focus that the young cast brings to the rehearsals impresses the adults who volunteer in production roles. “They rehearse at the end of their long school day,” Hanssen explains. “Now they have to bring their best game, step into character, take new directions, and sing in front of their peers with various degrees of comfort.”

Just as Moana evolves throughout her journey, the adults on the sidelines witness the same growth in the actors through the theater experience.

“Teaching this to 44 seven- to ten-year-olds in a short rehearsal period of only eight weeks has been a huge challenge, but they sing with their hearts and love what they are doing, and I know the audience will enjoy taking this voyage with them,” said Jerome.

Kasper loves seeing “just how much confidence they have in themselves! And the joy of knowing they can ‘do hard things.’ “

The actors look forward to the performances, including two matinee shows on Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5.

General admission tickets are $10 and reserved seating is $15. Tickets are available through Eventbrite at mauiprep.org/arts.

Pre-show meals and concessions are available for purchase beginning one hour prior to showtime. Maui Prep is located at 4910 Honoapiilani Highway in Napili.