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November 29, 2024 15 mins

The sequel to Disney’s smash-hit animation Moana has sailed into cinemas this week.

In the first film, Moana was chosen by her wayfinding ancestors and the mysterious forces of the ocean to restore the natural order of things. The new film sees Moana reuniting with demi-God Maui for a new seafaring adventure.

Both stories champion Pacific mythology and Moana 2 is making history as the first indigenous-language film to premiere globally alongside its English counterpart – with a Te Reo Māori version released simultaneously this week.

Cast members Temuera Morrison, Awhimai Fraser and David Fane join Jack Tame in studio to talk about the film.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks atb.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Sign and.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
To please.

Speaker 4 (00:32):
Ah. So catchy, isn't it. The sequel to Disney's smash
hit animation Mowana has sailed into cinemas this week. So
in the first film, of course, Mina was chosen by
her way you finding ancestors and the mysterious forces of
the ocean to restore the natural order of things, and
the Mojana story is really champion Pacific mythology. Moana two

(00:54):
is making history as the first Indigenous language film to
premiere globally alongside its English counterpart. So they've got a
toenal Maldi version that has been released this week simultaneously.
Both versions feature huge Pacific a key. We've voiced casts
and we are lucky to have in studio chief Tuy
Martangi and Kelly that's Tim Wader, Morrison, Afi My Phraser

(01:16):
and David Fani.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
Mister lovely to be here, and may I say, I've
really enjoyed the way you have embraced Tareel as well
and one of those journalists that are in high mainstream
media and just making a normal So congratulations to you.
And you make us feel good, buddy, So all the best,
all the bank you.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
I appreciate that. I'm looking forward to asking you about
the El Maudi version of Moana too. But first of all, Tim,
where does the story pick up for people who loved
Moana the first film?

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yes, well, we were still in Motu Nui, and whereas
the first one was, I was always saying.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
No one goes beyond the reef. But things are.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
Normal and we're all fishing and eating pretty well. And
but this time Moana is growing up a couple of years, right,
a few years years, and she's matured a little bit.
And the big thing is I kind of kind of
put a big responsibility on her that she's just the
chosen one in a way, and now it's time for.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Her to go beyond the reef and unite.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
The people of the Pacific, bring us together as one.
And yeah, that's where we find it, Then that's where
we go.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
It sounds like quite a personent, quite a persinent little storyline.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Look, the narrative is just incredible.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
She goes off on a journey, of course, and then
some more discoveries, some more sea monsters, some more spooky.
But the drama of course, wonderful performances from from O
Lee and the rock too. Of course we have flavors
of someone and with Tobacco of course, the Toku Lauen

(03:02):
cultures and the language is very much there within the
music very dynamic of course, and it's just it's great
to come back, really, I really. I have a five
year old too, so I thought about this. Yes, I'd
love to be back one day. I can take her
to the film and see it again. And I've been
a bit slack though we had to switch.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Theaters last night.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
She started running around causing heavoc. I had to take
her into the English one, so she got six off
a little bit. So I've got to do my own
homework at home and start teaching her a little bit
more Maldy because she started to get restless. But just
wonderful and amazing. The talent now, not only in the
Tareel Maudi version, but just the talent this one here,

(03:48):
the new character playing Martngui.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
The voices.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Really really matching the first one, and even going beyond
a bit, I think it might even be a little
bit better. So it's got all the colors and all
the narrative is great as there surprises in there. There's
a couple of big surprises in terms of bringing a
couple of those wonderful characters back and again it's like

(04:14):
walking with our ancestors at times, and some of those
spiritual moments really come through too. So so I'm looking
forward to the reaction, especially from Automidiki that are you know,
going through the cour hunger and are going through the
bilingual schools, and you know they can sit proud and
feel good about about there there that are being reflected
back on them to make them feel good. You know,

(04:34):
when I was growing up, sometimes it wasn't that most
popular thing to sort of promote our Maldi kind of things.
But our Walker has changed, Jack. You know, we people
are jumping on our walker. We're all accepting it becoming
a more normal thing now.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
So it's a wonderful time and it's for me.

Speaker 3 (04:52):
Last night, the New Zealand premiere with tad El Mali
version was really a celebration of those talents and also.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
For our women.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know, it was a woman company, mart Deuir, the
tweedy Waitity, Tiger's Sister and see Win Stanley Miya. It
was the work of these woman the hard work that
and persistence.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
That got our Maldi version ready in time to launch
last night. So very very proud.

Speaker 4 (05:21):
Yeah, you got to say somebody, I think, was it
like in the caller? What's it like when you get
the call They're like, hey, yeah, we're making one or two.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
You got the role. I don't get that excited. What
time's lunch?

Speaker 5 (05:34):
Well, I definitely did. It was It was a surreal,
a very surreal feeling. The audition process was back in
twenty twenty two, so it's been a bit of a journey.
Been a bit of a wait to actually watch it
for the first time this week in Australia first actually
and then of course last night in Tadelle Mardi, which
was beautiful. But I had the audition, saw that Disney

(05:58):
was attached to the copopper, didn't know much about the character,
certainly didn't know her name, had some sort of audition
script about monsters, and then I waited for about six
seven months, thought no, no worries, gave it my best,
all good, No, Well, you know, it had been a

(06:20):
little while and so I was I was doing a
kid show Toy Time, and driving to the studio to
do another album for that, and and an email popped up, pulled,
pulled across the road and it was meet and greet
with Disney producers. And I wrung my husband and I said,

(06:41):
what what.

Speaker 4 (06:42):
Do you think? This is real? Do you know what
this is? Do you what does it mean?

Speaker 5 (06:46):
What does that mean? What was a meet and greet?
And so no, it was amazing. A couple of weeks later,
I chose to take the the Zoom meet and greet
in my fuddy and my home to feel a bit
a bit more settled, and and they did. We just
chatted about fun, We chatted about this country, about what

(07:08):
had led me to pursue storytelling and singing and screen acting,
and I got to talk about frozenlel Maudi, which of
course was my first collaboration with Matawa Media, playing Alsa Pakeeke.
And then a couple of weeks after that was the
call from from my agent saying they'd like to offer

(07:30):
you the role. And then that was just the I
just remember feeling completely almost like numb, not in my body.
I wasn't quite sure how to process that that you
get to join not only the Disney Fano, but but
to to join a movie that I loved just as

(07:51):
Aufi my The first Mona moved me and and I cried,
and I loved the music. So yeah, it was it
was a pretty surreal and it's still really surreal, you
know that that we get to join these un believable
poe of our industry and and to to come on

(08:11):
board this beautiful poe of you know, right and and
of course Tim, and it's just been it's just been
a dream. What about you joining this this Disney fan
though it didn't.

Speaker 6 (08:27):
Really bother me, you know, like I didn't want at all.
Like originally it was going to be a TV series
and so you know, I've done TV series animation before,
so it was.

Speaker 4 (08:42):
There.

Speaker 6 (08:42):
I was doing that, and then and then they up
the game and so it was a movie and I
found myself, you know, you know, it was a bit
weak in the nether region and a bit squirty down there,
and you know, meant I had to work and do something.
And then you know, that's when stuff got real and

(09:05):
and there was really be funny just knowing that you
were honoring something that had been done before, but you
were being charged with taking it further again. And that's
that was the exciting part is that you out of
all people, you know, all of us who are chosen

(09:25):
to go forward again and to say yeah, I'll accept
and go forward. You know, it was quite humbling.

Speaker 4 (09:34):
Do you think it occurs to me that you have
dedicated your creative life to promoting Pacific stories? And when
you think about the impact of Pacific stories in a
global sense, it's hard in recent times to go past
the size and scale of Moana. Can you can you
quantify the impact that Moana has had for Pacific people's

(09:56):
and Pacific stories in a global context.

Speaker 6 (09:59):
With a global context? Is this is that it's the
way of thinking in the Pacific round here we under
stand the concept of you know, the ancestors come with us.
That's part and parcel. It's a spirituality and uh. And
yet you know in the Northern hemisphere, you know, there's

(10:20):
a certain disconnect between land sea and people. They there's
the there's a separation with them and even in their
storytelling there's a separation. And here, well, I love is
in the Pacific we we always strive to include in
the entirety of the area that we're in and to

(10:41):
show that the entirety and the way that we think
is actually a valid and and and in a beautiful
way of thinking, like MARII look, look, and you said
it before we went on here about the normalizing this,

(11:03):
that it's not such a foreign concept, and Disney's on
board that because they released it at the same time.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
It's like, it's just just as what it is.

Speaker 6 (11:11):
And how wonderful is that we're just as so we
can breathe, We just are And that's how stories they
just are. They're given and we as a specific a
story to tell us and Marty's storytellers. It's it's something
you hold in your hand and you give to people
and you go, yep, you hold that for a while,

(11:32):
and I'll go find something else we can play with,
you know, And it's it's beautiful. And Tim has been
such a leader, and well we've been laughing about him
playing chief too, but the fact is there can be
no you know, he's held so much before and and

(11:53):
there were there was no one to help them. There
was no one there with him. And it's nice to
be able to stand next to him and and and
hold hold hands with hold hands with them and say yeah,
were here.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
The rest of us were caught up and I think
last night too, they just showed the amount of talent
there and even in the Jadeen Randall came number two
in the Voice in Australia and like we did the
Australian media, you know, and the culture of the Pacific
seems to transcend right right, not only in Australia but

(12:28):
all around the world. You know. It's mum and dad
really and a kid, you know, and and the kids
at home. So no matter where you are in the world,
Mum and daid okay, kids one or twos are and
freeze them up for that hundred minutes. But they're always
in the background listening, you know. They're taking it in
a in a peripheral way, I guess.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
So it's just it was very dynamic last night.

Speaker 3 (12:49):
And again when you hear this one sing, she's like
our Polynesian Beyonce.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
D give us a little stands up Saturday morning, wake them.

Speaker 4 (13:03):
You got to enjoy the indgiously.

Speaker 7 (13:10):
Yeahsage the meet and great with the Didney producers.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
I can see even I make the singing cut in
the village.

Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yes, So don't be late to the movie because my
song it happens in the first minute in the movie.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
Get there early and then you can leave.

Speaker 3 (13:35):
It was just great because I was a little bit
in the first one. While I must say that maybe
the note was a little high for me, so I
got a little bit upset when the movie came out
and no one told me they'd replaced my voice.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
But with the second one they used me, so I'm.

Speaker 4 (13:51):
Very very yes, they put it in the right key
for you.

Speaker 2 (13:55):
I made the cut. I could hit the note too,
so that was good. But the little training a little bit. Yeah,
it was great. It was great.

Speaker 4 (14:04):
Well, congratulations all, thank you and thank you because that
is such a gift not only to Disney fans, but
like especially all of those those kids around the country
who you know, seeing a movie like this in real
Maui as well. It's just this has a profound impact.

Speaker 5 (14:20):
I think the beautiful thing about it is if they
would like to just watch it in now real yeah,
then that's an option for them. And you know, that's
that's what our fauna at Matiwa media have been striving for.
It's just for our tamatiki to have the option.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
This is where we're lucky to having those people like
in those productions that have the capability whereas, you know,
be great to see it in someone, be great to
see it in the Hawaiian language, you know, for all
those people.

Speaker 2 (14:44):
But that's where we're lucky here down in New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
We have a number of trained people in those areas
that you know, they can make this possible.

Speaker 6 (14:51):
We were trailblazers New Zealand, you know, and all together
we are, we are going beyond the reef because what
else is there is you have to go. You have
to have a look, you've got to try your hand.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
Yeah, thank you.

Speaker 4 (15:07):
That's a beautiful thank you, Thank you good much. That's
so good. Tim moy and Morrison, Uffy, My Phraser, David Fanny.
The three are stars of Moana two and of course
Moana two and Moana two Real Maudi are both in cinemas.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
Now.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to news Talks. It'd be from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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