Hawaiian-language ‘Moana’ distributed to state schools

The Hawaiian-language version of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” will be distributed in DVD format for free to accredited schools across the state following a yearlong production.

The project involved translating roughly 10,000 words and the work of student engineers who recorded 4,000 sound files. Also participating were Mililani teen Auli‘i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 film, and more than 30 locally cast Hawaiian-language speakers and singers, according to Chris Lee, director and founder of the University of Hawaii’s Academy for Creative Media.

“This was an educational endeavor to encourage students to learn olelo Hawaii and we are so grateful to our partners at Disney Animation and Disney Character Voices International for making this possible,” Lee said in a news release.

The Academy for Creative Media system funded and coordinated the re-recording of “Moana,” which earned $643 million at the box office.

The Oscar-nominated film tells the story of an adventurous Polynesian teen who embarks on a daring journey to save her island people and revive ancient wayfinding traditions. It is the first Disney picture to be re-recorded in the Hawaiian language. It was also translated into Maori.

The “olelo Hawaii” version premiered at a World Oceans Day celebration at Ko Olina over the summer and was featured last month at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

In addition to Cravalho, the voice actors included UH-Manoa student Christopher Kaipulaumakaniolono Baker as Maui; singer Nicole Scherzinger of Waianae as Sina, the role she played in the English-language version; Kelikokauaikekai Hoe as Ali‘i Tui, Kalehuapuakeʻula Kawa‘a as Puna Tala and Kamakakehau Fernandez as Tamatoa.

Staff from across various UH departments collaborated on the project.

Puakea Nogelmeier, professor of Hawaiian language and executive director of Awaiaulu, a nonprofit for Hawaiian-language translation training, oversaw a team of translators. Haili‘opua Baker, professor of Hawaiian theater at UH-Manoa, served as acting director. Ethnomusicologist Aaron J. Sala was music director.

The film was re-recorded at Honolulu Community College’s MELE Studio and engineered by Jon Ross.

Heather Giugni, collections specialist and producer for UH West Oahu’s ‘Ulu‘ulu, Hawaii’s moving-image archive, and Sharla Hanaoka, director of creative media at UH-West Oahu, served as producers of the Hawaiian language-version of “Moana,” in cooperation with Rick Dempsey, senior vice president creative for Disney Character Voices International.