Māori movies and Disney films in te reo Māori

The Māori movies most learners start with are Disney films you already know, re-voiced in te reo Māori: Moana (2017), The Lion King and Frozen (2022), Coco (2023), Encanto and Moana 2 (2024), all made by the Auckland company Matewa Media with Disney, and most of them streaming on Disney+ in New Zealand and Australia. Shrek joined them in 2025, and a te reo Spirited Away is due in December 2026. Beyond the dubs there are feature films made mainly in te reo, such as The Dead Lands, Muru and Ka Whawhai Tonu, and famous Māori-led films that are mostly in English, such as Whale Rider and Boy. The table says which to watch at which stage; below it are the films one by one, what is on television for learners, and how to learn from a film rather than just watch it.

Updated 22 October 2026 · 12 min read

Tap 🔊 to hear an example. Māori examples play Papa Reo, the te reo Māori voice made by Te Hiku Media from recordings of native speakers.

Which Māori movies to watch, and when

Film	Year	How much te reo	Best for
Moana Reo Māori	2017	all of it (a dub)	beginners: the story you know, in Tairāwhiti reo
The Lion King Reo Māori	2022	all of it (a dub)	beginners; five dialects in one film
Frozen Reo Māori	2022	all of it (a dub)	beginners; Kāi Tahu (South Island) reo
Coco Reo Māori	2023	all of it (a dub)	beginners and up
Encanto Reo Māori	2024	all of it (a dub)	beginners and up
Moana 2 Reo Māori	2024	all of it (a dub)	after Moana
Shrek – Kātahi te Korokē	2025	all of it (a dub)	improvers: the jokes were reworked for Māori
The Dead Lands	2014	filmed entirely in te reo	intermediate, with subtitles; rated R16
Muru	2022	mostly te reo	intermediate, with subtitles
Ka Whawhai Tonu	2024	mostly te reo	intermediate, with subtitles
Kōkā	2025	mostly te reo, in Ngāti Porou dialect	advanced
Whale Rider, Boy	2003, 2010	mostly English	anyone: culture and context, not much language

“How much te reo” is what the film-makers or NZ On Screen say, not a count of lines. Where to watch each one, as of 21 October 2026, is in its paragraph below; streaming catalogues differ by country and change, so treat every “where” on this page as a starting point and check before you plan a film night.

The Disney films in te reo Māori

All six were made by Matewa Media, founded in 2017 by the producers Tweedie Waititi and Chelsea Winstanley, in association with Disney. Each was cast mainly with Māori actors and singers, most were translated into one iwi’s reo, and all were released first in cinemas, many of them timed for Matariki or for Māori Language Week. Matewa Media’s FAQ says Moana, The Lion King, Frozen and Coco Reo Māori are streaming on Disney+ in Aotearoa and Australia, and its home page adds Encanto; it names no other country. The soundtracks, it says, are on Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes.

For a learner the most useful thing about these films is one most viewers never notice: each is in a particular mita ‘dialect, accent’, the word Te Aka gives for the rhythm, pronunciation and sound of a language, its accent or dialect. Hearing the same film language in different regional voices is good practice, and how the dialects differ is explained in Māori dialects.

Moana Reo Māori (2017)

The first. RNZ reported that Taika Waititi, who had worked on the English Moana, suggested the idea to Disney; his sister Tweedie Waititi and Chelsea Winstanley produced it, Rachel House directed, and translating, mixing and recording took three months. It had its premiere in Auckland on 11 September 2017 and was shown free in more than 30 cinemas for Māori Language Week. Moana is Jaedyn Randell, then 16 and a student at Hamilton Girls’ High, who had been to kōhanga reo; Māui is Piripi Taylor, a newsreader on Māori Television’s Te Kāea. Temuera Morrison, Rachel House and Jemaine Clement voice the same characters they voiced in English. Matewa Media says it reached Disney+ in 2020, and that both Moana films use the reo of Tairāwhiti, the East Coast.

The Lion King Reo Māori (2022)

This is the 1994 animated film, not the 2019 remake. It had its premiere at the Civic Theatre in Auckland on 21 June 2022 before more than 1,500 people and was in cinemas in New Zealand and Australia from 23 June, for Matariki. Mataara Stokes is Simba, Arihia Cassidy is Nala, Piripi Taylor is Mufasa and Matu Ngaropo is Scar. Chelsea Winstanley told RNZ it was the first feature film to use five different dialects: the lions speak the reo of Tainui and the joking hyenas that of Ngāti Kahungunu, and Matewa Media’s credits name translators for Te Tai Tokerau, Ngāi Tūhoe and Taranaki as well. The Spinoff reports that it is the only one of the film’s 45 versions in which Elton John’s closing song, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, is translated and sung by someone else: Stan Walker sings it in te reo.

Frozen Reo Māori (2022)

Announced with The Lion King in July 2021 and planned for Māori Language Week, it arrived in late October 2022. Jaedyn Randell, Moana in 2017, is Anna; Awhimai Fraser is Elsa, Kawiti Waetford Kristoff and Pere Wihongi Olaf. The film is set somewhere cold, so most of its characters speak the reo of Kāi Tahu, tangata whenua of the South Island, Te Waipounamu, and The Spinoff called it the first time that dialect had been heard in a film. Its best-known difference is a sound: Kāi Tahu use a k where many North Island iwi say ng, which is why you will see the iwi’s name written both Kāi Tahu and Ngāi Tahu. “Let It Go” becomes “Waerea”.

Coco Reo Māori (2023) and Encanto Reo Māori (2024)

Coco Reo Māori opened in cinemas on 13 July 2023, with Mānuera Mānihera as Miguel, the musician Troy Kingi as Héctor and Rachel House as Mamá Coco. Matewa Media calls it a celebration of the reo of Te Tai Rāwhiti, the East Coast, and its translators were Sir Selwyn Parata and his son Ngarimu Parata. Encanto Reo Māori followed on 12 September 2024, with Te Waimarie Ngatai-Callaghan as Mirabel; Matewa Media says it is less focused on one dialect and aims to connect as many people as possible to te reo. Chelsea Winstanley told RNZ it was number two at the box office on its opening night.

Moana 2 Reo Māori (2024)

Released on 28 November 2024, the same day as the English Moana 2: Matewa Media and Disney called it the first time a studio had released its original version and an Indigenous-language version in cinemas together. Jaedyn Randell and Piripi Taylor are Moana and Māui again, Rachel House and Temuera Morrison return, and Awhimai Fraser, Elsa in Frozen, plays the new character Matangi. Its reo, like the first film’s, is Tairāwhiti. Watch Moana first: the sequel assumes you know the characters. For cinema group bookings, Matewa Media offered it in te reo and with English subtitles. Its site still lists only the cinema release, so check Disney+ for it.

Other films dubbed into Māori: Shrek and Spirited Away

Shrek – Kātahi te Korokē (2025). Made by Māoriland Productions in Ōtaki with DreamWorks Animation, with funding from Te Māngai Pāho and Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga, and the first DreamWorks film ever dubbed into an Indigenous language, RNZ reported. It had its premiere at the Māoriland Film Festival on 27 March 2025, with Maaka Pohatu as Shrek, Tuakoi Ohia as Fiona and Te Puaheiri Snowden as Donkey. Its lead translator told RNZ the hard part was finding Māori equivalents for jokes that are funny in English, which makes it a better film for an improver than for a beginner: the humour is Māori humour, not a word-for-word copy.

Spirited Away (December 2026). Studio Ghibli’s Oscar winner is being dubbed by Māoriland Films, supported by Te Māngai Pāho, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment. RNZ reported on 6 October 2026 that it will screen on Whakaata Māori and MĀORI+ in December 2026 and at the Māoriland Film Festival in March 2027, and that its translators call the film’s spirits tua.

Films made in te reo Māori

These were written and shot with te reo as their language, not re-voiced afterwards. They are for adults, and for a learner they are a step up: the speech is fast and natural, and nobody has slowed it down for you. Watch them with subtitles first.

The Dead Lands (2014). Toa Fraser’s action film, set before Europeans arrived, about a chief’s son who crosses forbidden land to avenge his father’s murder. The Hollywood Reporter said it was filmed entirely in te reo, and it was New Zealand’s entry for the foreign-language Oscar under its Māori title, Hautoa. NZ On Screen says it topped the New Zealand box office; it is rated R16.
Muru (2022). Tearepa Kahi’s action drama, inspired in part by the 2007 police raids in Te Urewera, starring Cliff Curtis as a Tūhoe police sergeant and Tāme Iti as himself. NZ On Screen describes it as predominantly in te reo Māori, with the perspective of the Tūhoe community at its core.
Ka Whawhai Tonu (2024). The 1864 siege of Ōrākau in the Waikato, told through two teenagers; NZ On Screen says it is presented in te reo Māori from a Māori perspective, and the New Zealand Film Commission lists it as a te reo Māori drama. On 21 October 2026 it was streaming on MĀORI+, as Ka Whawhai Tonu – Struggle Without End.
Kōkā (2025). Kath Akuhata-Brown’s film, released for Matariki. RNZ reported it was the first feature film shot predominantly in the Ngāti Porou dialect, with dialogue developed with kaumātua, language experts and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou, and ranging from modern reo to expressions of the Māori Battalion’s generation. For advanced learners.

Famous Māori films that are mostly in English

Search “Māori movies” and the first titles you meet are these. They are good films and full of Māori life, but for language practice they offer a few words and phrases rather than conversation, so do not expect them to train your ear.

Whale Rider. Niki Caro’s film of Witi Ihimaera’s novel, about Pai, a girl who challenges tradition to lead her people; NZ On Screen calls it one of the most successful New Zealand films released internationally.
Boy (2010). Taika Waititi’s comedy about an 11-year-old on the East Coast whose father comes home from jail; NZ On Screen says it became the most successful New Zealand film at home, for a time. Its soundtrack made a hit again of Poi E, one of the Māori songs everyone knows.
Cousins (2021). Briar Grace-Smith and Ainsley Gardiner’s film of Patricia Grace’s novel about three cousins separated as children. How much of it is in te reo depends on who you ask (see below); on 21 October 2026 it was on MĀORI+.

Māori movies on Netflix

Many people search for Māori movies on Netflix, and the lists that come up go out of date quickly. Netflix’s catalogue differs from country to country and changes month to month, and on 21 October 2026 we found no reliable, dated source saying which te reo Māori films it carries in New Zealand, so this page names none. The Disney versions are Disney+ titles, and the place to look first is MĀORI+, below. To check any film, search for it in the service itself, set to your own country.

Television in te reo Māori for learners

Films are a treat; for regular listening, television is better, because it is free and there is always more. Whakaata Māori, formerly Māori Television, runs two channels. Its main channel, launched in 2004, is bilingual; its Te Reo channel, launched in 2008, is entirely in te reo Māori. Both stream on MĀORI+, the service at maoriplus.co.nz and in its apps, which says some content may not be available outside Aotearoa because of rights. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission, suggests tuning in to Whakaata Māori as one of its everyday ways to use the language.

MĀORI+ sorts its shows into Beginner Reo, Intermediate Reo and Language Learning. On 21 October 2026 these were among them:

Tōku Reo (Language Learning, Beginner Reo). A course for absolute beginners designed by Professor John Moorfield, the compiler of Te Aka Māori Dictionary, with a website to go with it.
Ōpaki (Beginner Reo). Casual conversation, made, in its own words, for people who lack the confidence to speak.
Te Kupu o te Wiki. One word a week for 50 weeks, made with Te Taura Whiri and New Zealand Post.
Kiri and Lou (Beginner Reo). The animated children’s series about two friends in prehistoric Aotearoa, re-voiced in Māori: short, simple and good for adults starting out too. More for children is in te reo Māori for kids.
Avatar: The Last Airbender. The animated series, in its reo Māori versions.
Ako (Language Learning). A Māori language class for intermediate learners, presented by Pānia Papa, who also translated Encanto.

Te Taura Whiri also points learners to Taringa, a te reo Māori podcast, which MĀORI+ carries too.

How to learn te reo from a film

Watching a whole film in a language you are learning feels good and teaches little: after twenty minutes you are following the pictures, not the words. These habits turn a film into practice:

Start with a film you already know in English. If you know the story, every scene tells you roughly what is being said, and the only new thing is the te reo. This is why the Disney versions are the place to begin.
Start with the songs. The soundtracks are on the music streaming services, and a song is short, repeats itself and stays in your head. Matewa Media puts the lyrics of The Lion King Reo Māori on its site. Look up each line before you sing it.
Work one scene at a time. Pick two or three minutes. Watch with English subtitles to be sure what happens, then again with Māori subtitles if the service offers them, then with none. Subtitles are kupu hauraro ‘subtitles’ in Te Aka, and which ones a film has depends on the service and the film, so look in the player’s settings.
Keep five words. From each scene write down five words you heard twice, look them up in Te Aka Māori Dictionary, and listen for them next time.
Rewatch. The third viewing teaches more than the first, because you are no longer following the plot.
Expect the dialect. A k where you learned ng in Frozen is Kāi Tahu reo, not a mistake; the standard forms you learn in a course are understood everywhere.

Which films suit you depends on how far you have got. In your first months, choose the Disney films and Kiri and Lou, with English subtitles if you need them. After a year or so of regular study, try them with Māori subtitles or none, and add the learners’ programmes. The films made in te reo, and the Te Reo channel, come at the intermediate stage. How long each of those stages takes is in how long does it take to learn te reo Māori?, and the words a beginner needs first are taught, with recordings, in Verbavia’s free te reo Māori course.

A few words for talking about films:

Māori	English (Te Aka)
kiriata	film, movie
whare pikitia	cinema, picture theatre
pakiwaituhi	cartoon, animation
mātakitaki	to watch, gaze, observe
kupu hauraro	subtitles
pouaka whakaata	television
mita	accent, dialect, the sound of a language
raiona	lion

Kei te mātakitaki au i te kiriata. ‘I am watching the film.’ Kei hea te whare pikitia? ‘Where is the cinema?’

Where the accounts differ

A few details are reported differently, and this page gives both rather than choosing.

Question	One account	Another account
When Frozen Reo Māori came out	planned for Māori Language Week, September 2022 (Matewa Media, December 2021; The Spinoff, June 2022)	premiered in Auckland in late October 2022 (The Spinoff, 28 October 2022)
How much of Cousins is in te reo	NZ On Screen files it under Te Reo	Wikipedia lists its language as English
How much of Ka Whawhai Tonu is in te reo	“presented in te reo Māori” (NZ On Screen)	Wikipedia lists Māori and English
What year Whale Rider came out	2003 (NZ On Screen’s listing)	2002, the year of its first festival screenings (Wikipedia)