Auditions open for Encanto, latest te reo Māori Walt Disney adaption

Filmmakers are on the hunt for fresh talent for the te reo Māori adaption of Encanto.

The latest Te Reo Māori Walt Disney adaptation has been revealed as the globally loved animated film Encanto, and film-makers are on the hunt for fresh talent.

The Oscar award-winning film follows a magical house, called the Encanto, in the Colombian mountains. In the charmed home lives the Madrigal family, who have each been blessed by the house with a unique gift - every child except Mirabel.

Encanto’s themes, which mainly revolve around whānau and intergenerational relationships, resonate closely with Māori.

It will be directed and produced by Tweedie Waititi, who was also behind the reo Māori versions of Disney’s The Lion King, Frozen, Moana and most recently Coco Reo Māori, which is set to be released in cinemas for Matariki 2023.

“Coming straight off the back of Coco Reo Māori, we are confident that we’ll deliver another high-standard film,” Waititi said.

“We’re looking forward to kicking into Encanto with all the magic and challenges that lay ahead.”

Waititi confirmed the film will not be tied to a specific dialect and the translations will be headed by mātanga reo Māori, Pānia Papa and Leon Blake.

The Walt Disney Company together with Matewa Media, which is the brainchild of Waititi and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chelsea Winstanley, are searching for arero Māori to help bring Encanto Reo Māori to life.

The first round of online auditions opens today, more information can be found on www.matewamedia.nz.