CALL FOR AUDITIONS AS PRODUCTION BEGINS ON A MĀORI LANGUAGE VERSION OF DISNEYAND PIXAR’S HIT FILM COCO
Aotearoa New Zealand, Monday 19 December 2022 - Matewa Media and The Walt Disney Company announce the fourth film to be reimagined into Te Reo Māori, Disney and Pixar’s Oscar®-winning animated film, Coco.
The announcement comes after the successful cinema release of Frozen Reo Māori across Aotearoa and Australia earlier this year, before making its way to eager audiences on Disney+ this month.
The themes within the film resonate directly with Māori culture, making Coco a fantastic choice to release during Matariki in 2023. Coco’s celebration of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time of remembering and celebrating those that have passed on and for Māori, Matariki is the time to honour the journey taken by ancestors into the afterworld. The love for whānau and intergenerational respect is evident throughout the film which the Māori community also strongly shares.
“Our connection with te ao wairua, the spirit world is strong. It’s easy to imagine how well this film relates to us and it’ll sit within our world. I’m looking forward to working on this one and I know it’s going to be a hit - so bring on 2023,” says Director and Co-Producer of Coco Reo Māori Tweedie Waititi.
Now, The Walt Disney Company and Matewa Media - helmed by International Award Emmy winner, Tweedie Waititi and Oscar®-nominated filmmaker, Chelsea Winstanley - are on the hunt for new talent to bring this next iteration of Reo Māori films to life.
The first round of online auditions opens on Monday 19th December. Each character will have a different audition piece, some will require auditionees to sing a snippet from the film's award-winning soundtrack. Waititi and Winstanley have advised that all levels of Reo Māori fluency are welcome.
“The most important aspect is that you love the story of Coco, once you step inside the character you should be able to resonate with their world, don’t be shy, Karawhiua!” says Co-Producer of Coco Reo Māori Chelsea Winstanley.
“I’m all about pushing our people into new spaces so I’m hoping we get a flood of auditions over the summer. There’s a part for everyone in the whānau, nō reira kia kaha tātou te poipoi, te āwhina tātou i a tātou!” says Tweedie Waititi.
Coco Reo Māori is set to premiere in participating cinemas in Aotearoa to align with Matariki, July 2023 (The Māori New Year).
Further information on is available on www.matewamedia.nz
--ENDS--
For media enquiries, please contact:
The Walt Disney Company New Zealand
Hannah Pearce
DOWNLOAD IMAGE HERE
ABOUT COCO:
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.
ABOUT MATEWA MEDIA:
Established in 2017, Matewa Media is owned and operated by Tweedie Waititi and Chelsea Winstanley. It 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 to bring the next iteration of Disney Reo Māori animation to our screens. Coco will be the fourth Disney animated feature film reimagined into te reo māori - MOANA (2017), LION KING (2022) FROZEN (2022)
ABOUT PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS:
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. The Northern California studio has created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “WALL•E,” “Up,” “Brave,” “Inside Out,” “Coco” and “Turning Red.” Its movies and technology have won 40 Academy Awards® and the films have grossed more than $14 billion at the worldwide box office. “Lightyear,” Pixar's 26th feature, is now streaming on Disney+.