Auditions To Commence For The Maori Language Version Of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Iconic Film The Lion King

Matewa Media are thrilled to announce that the first round of open auditions for The Lion King Reo Māori are open.

Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Chelsea Winstanley (Merata, Jo Jo Rabbit) and Tweedie Waititi (Moana Reo Māori, Rūrangi) of Matewa Media are also proud to share that different mita (dialects) will be celebrated through each beloved character:

• Lions - Tainui
• Timon, Pumbaa - Te Tai Tokerau
• Rafiki - Tūhoe
• Zazu - Taranaki
• Hyenas - Ngāti Kahungunu
• Chorus - open to te motu whānui

Translations have been completed by Te Reo Māori experts in each rohe (regions).

“You don’t have to be from any particular rohe to audition, just like Moana Reo Māori we encourage everyone to have a go, Karawhiua!” said Winstanley “But, you will be expected to pull it off nō reira kia kaha rā! Ko te mea nui ka ngākau nui koe ki te reo Māori” emphasised Waititi.

For the online first round auditions, each character will have a different audition piece, and some will require you to also sing in Te Reo Māori. Waititi and Winstanley have advised that all levels of Reo Māori fluency are welcome.

The Lion King Reo Māori is set to premiere in New Zealand and Australia in June 2022 to align with Matariki (Māori New Year).

In July 2021, it was announced that Matewa Media directors Waititi and Winstanley were underway on development of Māori language versions for both Walt Disney Animations Studios Academy Award®-winning animated features The Lion King and Frozen. This follows their successful collaboration in 2017, which brought Moana Reo Māori to New Zealand and Australian cinemas and Disney+ (2020).

As with Moana Reo Māori, Winstanley and Waititi will be working with Rachel House (Moana, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, Soul) who will act as Performance Director and with Musical Director Rob Ruha (Moana Reo Māori).

Further information and audition materials are available on www.matewamedia.nz. Auditions close on 1st December, 2021.

ABOUT THE LION KING (1994):

This Disney animated feature follows the adventures of the young lion Simba, the heir of his father, Mufasa. Simba's wicked uncle, Scar, plots to usurp Mufasa's throne by luring father and son into a stampede of wildebeests. But Simba escapes, and only Mufasa is killed. Simba returns as an adult to take back his homeland from Scar with the help of his friends Timon and Pumbaa.

ABOUT MATEWA MEDIA:

Established in 2017, Matewa Media is a multi-media organisation whose goal is to contribute to te reo Māori, the culture and indigenous stories. The directors of Matewa Media have spent decades in their respective careers contributing to Māori storytelling and are thrilled to come together again, along with some of the original crew members from Moana Reo Māori, to bring the next iteration of Disney Reo Māori animation to our screens.

ABOUT WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS:

Combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology, Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio responsible for creating some of the most beloved films ever made. Located in Burbank, WDAS continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully-animated feature film, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to 2019’s Frozen 2, the biggest animated film of all time. Among the studio's timeless creations are Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.

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