Reo Māori Dub of ‘Moana 2’ Arrives the Same Day as English-Language Counterpart

A little over a month remains until Moana 2 hits theaters, and for folks in New Zealand, they’ll have more than one way of experiencing it.

In addition to watching the sequel to the beloved 2016 animated film in English, there will also be the option of watching it dubbed in reo Māori; making it the first time an indigenous-language Disney animated feature will premiere alongside its English-language counterpart.

The reo Māori dub of Moana 2 is the latest project from Matewa Media. Established in 2017 by Tweedie Waititi and Chelsea Winstanley, the company has been dubbing several films from Disney’s and Pixar’s catalogue. In addition to Moana 2, they’ve also dubbed Moana, Encanto, Frozen, The Lion King, and Coco.

Actors Rachel House and Temuera Morrison, who voiced Gramma Tala and Chef Tui in both the English and Māori versions of the original film, will reprise their roles in the sequel in both languages as well.

While there’s currently nothing reported on whether or not the dub will also be shown stateside, viewers outside of New Zealand can watch the original Moana in reo Māori now on Disney+.

Moana 2 comes to theaters November 27, and both dubs will release a day later in New Zealand.

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