Photo: Walt Disney Studio
Review - When I started thinking about this, I thought I might lead with something like - "Moana 2 is better in te reo Māori" - but that would be a bit insincere because I've never actually seen the English version of the film and to be honest, I probably never will.
Ultimately that's the greatest strength of the film - because of the simultaneous premiere of the English and te reo versions many tamariki Māori will hear it first in their own language.
(Those tamariki will be robbed of The Rock, a small price to pay for the normalisation of te reo)
It is something lead voice actor Jaedyn Randell (Waikato), who plays Moana, picked up on at the premiere last week.
"That's all they'll ever know, and I think that's really exciting," she said.
Rutene Spooner (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāruahine, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki), who voices the new character Kele, added to that sentiment.
"This could be the first and only version of Moana my daughter sees. She doesn't have to see the English version and then see the translation."
Is Moana 2 a perfect movie? Definitely not. Is it as good as the original? Well... no. The film feels a little disjointed - perhaps because it actually began as a Disney+ series - and the villains (or nanakia to use the Māori term) don't really do anything.
It still has its hype moments of course - such as when Moana busts out an impromptu haka, twisting her paddle about her body like a taiaha.
Randell and Piripi Taylor have excellent chemistry as Moana and Maui respectively - and the supporting cast injects a lot of fun into the film as well - especially Spooner as Kele.
When it comes to the waiata they may not be as memorable as those of the first film - but Randell gives it her absolute all, showing all the talents that recently took her to the final of the The Voice Australia.
She is well supported by Awhimai Fraser who brings her own voice and spin to new character Matangi.
And let's face it Piripi Taylor is a much better singer than Dwayne Johnson.
For the cast and crew at Matewa Media who brought the te reo version to life - it's a full circle moment.
The journey began back in 2017 when the original Moana was adapted into te reo, since then Matewa have adapted five other Disney films.
So he aha kei tua? What lies beyond Moana for films in te reo? Well the biggest challenge is going to be proving to theaters that there is an audience for Māori language films.
A quick look at screenings of Moana 2 shows there are five or six English screenings for every one in te reo - that's if it's being shown at all.
Beyond that the goal is the same one Māori have been following since the 1972 Petihana Reo Māori (Māori Language Petition) a world where te reo Māori is an everyday reality.
Director and producer Tweedie Waititi (Te Whānau a Apanui, Rongowhakaata) also reinforced that message.
"We want [tamariki] to whakamāori the world. If it's not in Māori, then translate it. If it's not in Māori, reimagine it."
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