The cast has been announced for Coco Reo Māori, the Māori language makeover of the Pixar animated film Coco, in time for Matariki.
Among the stars are Rachel House and Troy Kingi, who both appeared in Taika Waititi's acclaimed 2016 film Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
All characters in Coco Reo Māori will be revoiced in te reo Māori by different Māori actors, in a collaboration between Matewa Media and Pixar Animation Studios.
It comes after several reo Māori versions of Disney movies have been released in cinemas and on streaming platforms including Moana (2017), The Lion King (2022) and Frozen (2022).
Auditions for Coco Reo Māori were opened in December and just last week auditions opened for Encanto Reo Māori.
Although Coco Reo Māori will focus on the mita (dialect) of te Tai Rāwhiti, Mexican comedian Edd Rivera and multilinguist-musician Hana Mereraiha will sprinkle the Spanish language throughout the film.
Meanwhile the chair of Te Matatini, Tā Selwyn Parata, alongside son Ngarimu Parata, tackled translations for the film.
Producer and director Tweedie Waititi, along with producers Chelsea Winstanley and Mia Henry-Teirney, are set to pull the film together.
"Coco Reo Māori is all about whānau, it celebrates all the matriarchal and Te Ao Wairua elements evident in our cultures," said Waititi.
As for the music, musicians Rob Ruha and Pere Wihongi will bring their unique flavours to the film's waiata.
The English-language film won Best Animated Feature at the 2018 Oscars, making it the first Academy Award-winning Pixar film to be remade in te reo Māori.
The film is set to hit big screens around the motu on 13 July.
The cast of Coco Reo Māori:
- Mānuera Mānihera - Miguel
- Troy Kingi - Héctor
- Justin Rogers - Ernesto de la Cruz
- Naomi Herewini-Houia - Mamá Imelda
- Kuini Moehau-Reedy - Abuelita (grandma)
- Rachel House - Mamá Coco (great grandma)
- Roimata Fox - Frida Kahlo
- Rutene Spooner - Papá Julio
- Te Rongopai Channings - Papá
- Cilla Ruha - Miguel's loving Mamá
- Ngātarawāhi Fairhall - Tío Oscar and Tío Felipe
- Arihia Cassidy - Tía Rosita
