Film is second released in indigenous language, after Moana, and reaches theatres for first national holiday marking Māori new year
While only a small percentage of New Zealanders are fluent in te reo, the number who class themselves as “conversational” is rising – in the 2018 census, it rose to more than 185,000, up from fewer than 150,000 in 2013. That rise is a result ofto embrace and revitalise the language. The government has set a target of 1 million speakers of basic te reo by 2040, and 150,000 proficient speakers.
Director Chelsea Winstanley said in a release that she was “extremely thrilled” to work on the Lion King. “It was always our dream to dub more Disney films that our tāmariki [children] love into te reo Māori,” she said as the film’s cast was announced.
At least 45 language versions of the Lion King have been made since the film debuted in 1994 but the te reo Māori version is the first to include a non-English version of Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight. The track was recorded in te reo at the last minute, after