Adorable sisters mistake Costco cashier for Maui from 'Moana'— he plays along and wins hearts

Two little sisters, Ryley and Rylyn from Oahu, Hawaii, were thrilled when they thought they were seeing their favorite character Moana in person. This cute encounter happened when the sisters were in a grocery shop with their mother Rella Rivera. This was when they realized they were looking at somebody with an uncanny resemblance to Maui from the Disney movie "Moana."

The girls couldn't hold their excitement and started shouting, "That's Maui!" as they pointed at William Va'ana, the cashier." Convinced they had found Maui working as a Costco cashier, they started shouting the character's name. Looking at them excitedly, Va'ana decided to play along and started singing Maui's signature catchphrase, "Chee-hoo!"

Speaking with PEOPLE, the mother said, "It brought so much joy to my face to see how excited the girls were. Before I could get my phone out to video, he had already let out a loud 'chee-hoo.' And the girls lit up even more." She quickly documented the sweet moment and posted it on YouTube. She wrote in the description, "Each time my daughters come to Costco, they search for the ‘real life’ Demigod, Maui."

"Will, featured in this video also does character appearances as Maui for parties and previously at Aulani Disney resort. Thank you, Will, for bringing a smile to our daughters' faces at each visit!" she added.

In an interview with Hawaii News Now, Va'ana said, "I've grown out my hair just to try something different and then after the movie, I was like, 'Wow, I kinda look like that guy.'" 

The video went viral, which Va'ana found out only when his coworkers told him the next day at work. "I'm not that great on phones honestly. I'm barely on social media. I came to work yesterday and everybody was like, 'Eh, you went viral.' I'm like, 'OK. What does that mean?'" he said.

The video has already garnered more than 5.6 million views since it was uploaded over 6 years ago. Unfortunately, Va'ana was later diagnosed with an extremely rare brain condition Moyamoya. The announcement that was posted on Instagram read,  "Posting on behalf of William Vaana!! Asking for prayer mercies over William (a.k.a. Maui) Vaana as he goes in for brain surgery on Tuesday! A brain disease in which certain arteries in the brain are constricted. Blood flow is blocked by constriction and blood clots (thrombosis)...This road isn’t easy & the thick of it is yet to come! My family & I ask for positive vibes, thoughts & love as he goes in! But most importantly PRAYER!," the post read.

Later, the family again posted to reveal that the surgery was successful and that he was headed on the way to recovery.  "William is doing great. Surgery is healing & his memory is coming back slowly, as this is a normal process," the post read. Since his recovery in 2020, Va'ana has taken it upon himself to raise awareness on the ailment. He was also seen dressing as Maui to visit a little boy's first birthday party in August this year, during his journey.