Disney classic is now a cultural taonga
The Lion King Reo Māori (G, 88 mins) Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff (1994 original) and Tweedie Waititi Reviewed by Eda Tang ★★★★★
It goes without saying that the original 1994 Lion King still stands as a timeless cultural icon, with its music and characters a part of many childhoods. However, the Kīngi Raione just got better.
Embodying Mā ori indigeneity, it feels proximate, and you don’t need to speak reo Mā ori to appreciate it.
Conceptually, The Lion King in te reo Mā ori is a perfect marriage, because the story is a very Mā ori one: one of ancestral relationships, mana whenua, kaitiakitanga and kotahitanga.
The ‘‘circle of life’’, the ecosystem that connects all living things, is the vital essence (mauri) in te ao Mā ori.
When Simba learns that his ipukarea (homeland) has become a drought-stricken wasteland, he looks to the night sky to be visited by his late pā pā , Mufasa.
Without needing to change any of the 1994 animation, this scene visually mirrors the beliefs in te ao Mā ori that the spirits of the dead are released to become stars – a fitting image for the Matariki season.
The director and producers’ vision to highlight dialectal differences in te reo Mā ori is cleverly executed by giving the animal groups different mita (dialects) to speak in. It is part of normalising Mā ori media and deconstructing monolithic views of Mā oridom.
The linguistic minefield has also been carefully navigated by a reo expert for each mita. Mā ori rerenga (sentences) are much longer than those in English, making it all the more impressive that the phrasing and timing of the script matches the mouth movements of the original film, avoiding the awful result of forcefully dubbed films.
This version is not just a linguistic translation, but a translation and adaptation of te ao Lion King.
The Mā ori chorus gives the big numbers a unique Aotearoa flavour, filling you with the soulwarming rush of kapa haka richness. Kupu Mā ori always end in vowels, lending to more open and resonant harmonies that leave a fizzing energy in the room at the end of each song. It will be hard not to sing along once subtitled versions are available.
This production is a lot more than its minutes on screen: it is a result of the fight for te reo Mā ori to be recognised. For it to be given sovereignty in a multinational mass media conglomerate makes it all the more of a cultural taonga and an encouraging force of motivation for reo learners like myself.
The Lion King Reo Mā ori is in te reo with no subtitles. It is screening in select cinemas.