Casting call for te reo Māori version of Disney hit film Coco

A scene from Coco.

Calling all aspiring and established voice actors in Aotearoa!

Matewa Media and The Walt Disney Company have finally announced a casting call for their fourth animated film to be re-versioned into te reo Māori, the Oscar-winning animated film Coco.

Coco is inspired by the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, a time for remembering and celebrating those that have passed on. The plot centres on Miguel (Gonzalez), a 12-year-old boy who is unintentionally transported to the Land of the Dead. Miguel asks his musician deceased great-great-grandfather for assistance in returning him to his family among the living and in overturning his family’s ban on music.

The themes of Coco are reflective of that with Māori culture, says Matewa Media, and the film is scheduled to release during Matariki 2023.

This follows on from the success of Frozen Reo Māori, Lion King Reo Māori and Moana Reo Māori.

International Emmy award winner Tweedie Waititi (Te Whānau-a-Apanui) and Oscar-nominated film-maker Chelsea Winstanley (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) will open auditions on Monday, December 19, and end on February 19. Auditionees for specific characters will be required to sing something from the film’s soundtrack.

It will also be done in Te Reo Māori I mita o Te Tai Rāwhiti to reflect the Spanish whakapapa imbued into whānau throughout the region. Auditionees don’t need to be from Te Tai Rāwhiti.

Director and co-producer Waititi says she’s looking forward to what will be another Disney Reo Māori hit.

“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.

“There’s a part for everyone in the whānau, nō reira kia kaha tātou te poipoi, te āwhina tātou i a tātou!”

Winstanley is encouraging anyone to give it a go.

“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!”

Auditions will open for Miguel Rivera, Héctor, Ernesto De La Cruz Mamá Imelda and Abuelita, with more character auditions coming.