Moana Star Auliʻi Cravalho is aware of the sacrifices her parents made to help her succeed.

With Moana 2 Now in theaters, the 24-year-old Hawaii native reflects on the full-circle moment of returning to the Polynesian-inspired chieftain figure that changed her life overnight. “I can really look back on how much growth I’ve gone through throughout this decade,” she tells PEOPLE.

The biggest change? Cravalho’s mother, Puanani, raised her on food stamps on the Big Island and Oahu, she remembers. “We were living in a one-bedroom apartment in Mililani when I was cast. I slept in the bedroom, my mother slept on the couch. She gave me everything.”

In the wake of Moana Cravalho puts her in the spotlight and says with a smile: “I bought my mother a house. She’s happily retired.”

The Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club Star remains close with both her parents, who ran a construction company and divorced when she was young. “Your parents give you so much,” she says. “Kids feel a little obligated, I’ll be honest! But we are so grateful for our parents’ sacrifices.”

Her mother and father Dwayne also taught Cravalho valuable lessons as she went from an ordinary Kamehameha Schools student to a Disney starlet in 2014. “My parents said, ‘Listen if (Moana) doesn’t lead anywhere, you have to finish high school. You have to do the dishes. You need to fix your bed. Don’t let it go to your head.’”

Never miss a story again — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

And when she came home after the promotion Moana and doing schoolwork, Cravalho says, she was sometimes “a little shitty.” I would be a little gremlin. I have to be honest, I had nothing left… Sometimes people talk about being a Disney kid and I think it’s all about putting all your energy into a project and then nothing more to have something left for yourself. ”

It was her mother who “nipped it in the bud very quickly.” Mean Girls Stern adds. “She was the one who disciplined. She was the one who really supported me right away… That was a difficult upbringing that allowed me to develop as a person, but also to look myself in the eyes and say: “You have to be kind and you “You have to be kind to me.” Me.’ In those moments I realized, ‘Okay, I can’t give everything of myself.'”

Moana 2 sees Cravalho return to the title role alongside Dwayne Johnson, who voices the demigod Maui, as well as Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk and others. Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, the sequel features new songs by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.