SEARCH BEGINS FOR AOTEAROA’S ELSA AS AUDITIONS OPEN FOR DISNEY’S FROZEN REO MĀORI
Matewa Media are thrilled to announce the first round of open auditions for Frozen Reo Māori are now open. The news comes after the company announced open auditions for the Māori language version of iconic Disney film, The Lion King.
Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Chelsea Winstanley (Merata, Jojo Rabbit) and Tweedie Waititi (Moana Reo Māori, Rūrangi) of Matewa Media are also proud to share that Frozen Reo Māori will celebrate the mita of Kāi Tahu. Matewa Media are searching for people to fill five roles including the films iconic sisters, Anna and Elsa.
Translations will be completed by Kāi Tahu uri Hana O’Regan, Charisma Rangipunga, Thomas Aerepo-Morgan, Kiringāua Cassidy and Karuna Thurlow.
“You don’t have to be from Kāi Tahu 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 will require you to also sing in Te Reo Māori. Waititi and Winstanley have advised that all levels of Reo Māori fluency are welcome.
Frozen Reo Māori is set to premiere in New Zealand and Australia in September 2022 to align with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week).
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) who will act as Performance Director and Musical Director Rob Ruha (Moana Reo Māori).
Further information and audition materials are available on www.matewamedia.nz. Auditions close on 18th February 2022.
For media enquiries, please contact:
MATEWA MEDIA | matewamedia@gmail.com
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ABOUT FROZEN (2013):
In this Disney film, fearless optimist Anna teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the Kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, the trio must find Elsa in time to save Arendelle.
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.