10:57pm ET
Disney is keeping it local when it comes to Moana. The Southern Pacific-inspired film will become Disney's first movie to be translated into the Tahitian language.
Producer Osnat Shurer and film story consultant Hinano Murphy will lead the translation team.
Murphy says:
"Native languages, like Tahitian, are being lost; it is important to find new ways to excite the communities, elders, young adults and children here [in Tahiti] about our language. Hopefully, this will also inspire other Polynesian islanders to find innovative ways to teach their languages. We hope this version will be used as a teaching tool for many decades into the future."
Casting is now underway for actors to fill the film's voiceover roles. Moana hits U.S. theaters November 23 and will debut in Tahiti on November 30th. There is no date set for when the Tahitian language version will be released.