will sing ‘Wairea’ in place of ‘Let It Go’
The release of Disney’s Frozen Reo Māori is another triumph in the regeneration of Te Reo, featuring epic Māori talents and making history with the use of the Ngāi Tahu dialect in a movie for the first time ever.
With the hype and success of Lion King Reo Māori still warm in the hearts of Māori and non-Māori audiences, the creative forces behind Matewa Media haven’t stopped to take a break. From Pride Rock to Arendelle, they’ve ploughed ahead with the urgency of reviving an endangered language, giving Disney’s world-famous Frozen the highly anticipated Te Reo treatment.
The most notable difference between the two is in the dialect. While Lion King Reo Māori utilised the Tainui dialect for the lions of Pride Rock, the Māori language version of Frozen appropriately shifts the focus to colder climes and the dialect of Ngāi Tahu, who are tangata whenua in Te Waipounamu.
In what is a remarkable, never-before-seen, odds-defying milestone for the dialect of Ngāi Tahu, their unique language has been represented on screen in film for the first time.
Link to article: A new generation of tamariki will sing ‘Wairea’ in place of ‘Let It Go’ | The Spinoff
