Moana - Reo Māori Version

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

They’d say "you’d better get Maui’s song right, we love that song".

– Musical Director and dad Rob Ruha on his kids' expectations ahead of Moana Reo Māori, RNZ, 19 August 2017

I saw it on Facebook and me and my mum talked about it. We were like: 'Oh well, you never know until you try". So we just gave it in and yeah, here I am.

– Jaedyn Randell on successfully trying out for the part of Moana, The Otago Daily Times, 26 June 2017

It was mind-blowing and I sat in my chair weeping all the time. Here was a multinational massive western entity presenting and legitimising Pacific history through a Polynesian language.

– Mum Pirimia Burger on watching Moana - Reo Māori with her child, Te Puni Kōkiri website, 22 September 2017

In writing the script in Māori, there were challenges. But they did not affect our motivation and desire to be part of this monumental and exciting task. We didn't even have a clear idea of what was ahead. We just said yes because Tweedie [Waititi] had asked us. We knew and trusted that whatever she had in mind would be of great benefit to Māori and te reo Māori.'

– Translator Katarina Edmonds on working on the te reo vesion of Moana, The NZ Herald, 8 September 2017

...both films’ themes on ancestry, identity, leadership and environmental respect make for a remarkable point of difference on how our attitudes have possibly changed over the last two-and-a-half decades.

– Flicks writer Liam Maguren compares Moana and The Lion King, Flicks website, 10 January 2017