In 2016 Disney released animated hit Moana, following the magical journey of Polynesian heroine Moana, who teams up with shape-shifting demi-god Māui to save her island. In 2017 co-producer Tweedie Waititi dubbed the hit in te reo Māori, casting Tokoroa teen Jaedyn Randell as Moana, and retaining cast members Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Oscar Kightley and Jemaine Clement. Māori TV newsreader Piripi Taylor won the role of flashy Māui, originally voiced by superstar Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Moana Reo Māori premiered in Aotearoa in 2017 at 30 sold out events to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.
Seeing themselves on screen, hearing the reo. Amazing.– Producer Chelsea Winstanley on tamariki (Māori kids) watching the premiere of Moana in te reo, Stuff, 28 June 2020
Te reo version made with funding from Te Puni Kōkiri
Te reo lyrics by Rob Ruha
Article about the debut of Moana in te reo, Te Puni Kōkiri website, September 2017
Radio and print interview with musical director Rob Ruha, RNZ, August 2017
Interview with Jaedyn Randell, who voiced Moana in te reo, Otago Daily Times, June 2017
Moana Te Reo Māori launches on Disney+, Teo Ao Māori News, June 2020
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