Hawaiian-language ‘Moana’ premiere set for World Oceans Day
COURTESY UH-WEST OAHU
Moana star Auliʻi Cravalho will make an appearance at the premiere of the Hawaiian version “Moana” on June 10 at the World Oceans Day celebration at Ko Olina.
Hawaii’s local-girl-turned-celebrity Auliʻi Cravalho and cast members of the Hawaiian version of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” will walk a blue carpet for its premiere of the film at World Oceans Day on Sunday, June 10, at Ko Olina Resort.
The premiere is part of the resort’s second annual World Oceans Day Celebration, a collaboration with Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, the University of Hawaii Academy for Creative Media System, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Polynesian Voyaging Society and other community partners.
The theme of this year’s celebration is preventing plastic pollution and cleaning the ocean of marine litter.
Festivities for World Oceans Day at Ko Olina will include ocean education activities for the whole family, live entertainment and food for purchase during the day, followed by a special sunset showing of the Hawaiian-language version of “Moana,” along with performances by Kalani Pe‘a, Kapena and others.
The University of Hawaii’s Academy for Creative Media System funded and coordinated the re-recording of “Moana” with the goal of sharing the film for educational purposes in Hawaii and beyond. It is the first time a Disney picture has been re-recorded in olelo Hawaii, or Hawaiian. Faculty and staff from three campuses including the University of Hawaii-West Oahu, University of Hawaii at Manoa and Honolulu Community College collaborated on the production.
Besides Cravalho, the film features UH-Manoa student Christopher Kaipulaumakaniolono Baker as Maui, Waianae’s Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Kelikokauaikekai Hoe as Ali‘i Tui, Kalehuapuakeʻula Kawaʻa as Puna Tala, Kamakakehau Fernandez as Tamatoa, and 24 local cast actors and singers that speak Hawaiian.
The celebration, which is free and open to the public, begins at 4 p.m. Tickets can be reserved at 2018worldoceansdaykoolina.eventbrite.com. The event is zero waste, so attendees are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles to fill at water stations. Alcoholic beverages, coolers, glass containers, backpacks, pets, tents and sunshades will also be prohibited. Event parking will be available for $10 per vehicle.
