USP’s Pasifika Voices headhunted by Hollywood Disney Moana Movie

The University of the South Pacific’s Pasifika Voices based at the Oceania Centre have secured the official contract of providing a choir for the soundtrack of the much anticipated Hollywood Disney animation Moana
Moana is an upcoming 2016 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the 56th film in Disney's animated features canon, and is being directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.
The film introduces Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and features Dwayne Johnson, also known as the ‘The Rock’ who is the highest earning Pacific Islander. The animation film is scheduled to be released by Walt Disney Pictures in November, 2016.
The exclusive Disney family is known to only work with the world’s best & elite performers, ‘actors and singers.
From a small dot in the vast ocean, barely seen on the world map ‘Pasifika Voices’, made  up of 18 of Fiji’s finest voices plus two young men from the Solomon Islands,  led by renowned Pacific maestro and Head of Performing Arts at the USP Oceania Centre, Igelese Ete were chosen to be the official recording choir.
USP’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Rajesh Chandra said it is a historic moment for our local talent that our singers and artists are recognised in Hollywood at the highest level.
“I understand that the Producer, Composer, and Director have all given rave reviews of this recording. This recording by Disney demonstrates that our music and arts programmes produce world-class talent,” he noted.
Professor Chandra added that Pasifika Voices has been a major part of USP’s graduations for the past 10 years and is made up of students from all around the region and led by exceptionally talented staff.
An elated Mr Ete said this contract is a feat of great magnitude and acknowledgement to the talents of the people of the Pacific.
“It is fair to say that Hollywood Disney Animation is the ‘Olympics’ of the entertainment world, especially for children,” he said.
Moana Disney’s Producer Osnat  Shurer was so inspired by Pasifika Voices that even with the strict embargo, she could not contain her excitement as she left Fiji with the Disney crew to return to the mecca of entertainment Hollywood, she tweeted  “Amazing choir recording for our score-thank you from #Moana” with a picture of Pasifika Voices in recording mode”.
With the Directors totally in awe of the sound  and spirit of the choir, the lion king & famed Hollywood Film composer Mark Mancina describing on an email to Mr Ete, “Everything I’ve heard so far has been incredible”.
“This will lead to what will be the first ever official Red Carpet Movie Premiere of Hollywood proportions for the Global Release towards the end of year on November 23rd, attended by our very own vocal stars of Pasifika Voices and also rumor has it the Hollywood Mega- Superstar Samoan/Pacific Islander Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will be attending,” Mr Ete said.