Cassie Ordonio

1 week ago | hawaiipublicradio.org | Cassie Ordonio

A team of cultural consultants will be casting for the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi dub of Disney’s “Moana 2."The animated sequel tells the story of a Polynesian princess getting an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors. The first movie was also translated into ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Lāiana Kanoa-Wong works for the company Kūmau Productions, which provides film, media and production support rooted in Hawaiian culture, history, and language.

2 weeks ago | hawaiipublicradio.org | Cassie Ordonio

Lāiana Kanoa-Wong played a key role in ensuring the cultural accuracy of Hawai‘i in the newly released live-action “Lilo & Stitch."As an educator, Kanoa-Wong’s life has been dedicated to Hawaiian language and culture since he was 13. He grew up speaking ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i as a Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Ānuenue student. He’s since worked on film projects such as “Hae Hawai‘i,” “NCIS: Hawai‘i” and “Moana 2.”“This is another unique way to share our language and culture,” he said.

2 weeks ago | hawaiipublicradio.org | Cassie Ordonio

Chris Sanders, the creator and voice behind the little blue alien named Stitch, has never left the character. The co-director and co-creator of Disney’s animated "Lilo & Stitch" has been voicing the character for parades, TV commercials, ice skating shows, and toys in his free time since the film’s premiere in 2002. He said he goes into the studio six to 10 times a year to record Stitch’s voice.

2 weeks ago | hawaiipublicradio.org | Cassie Ordonio

From a first glance of a digitized glass plate negative, hula dancers perform outside ʻIolani Palace during King David Kalākaua's coronation. Up close, you can see the intricate patterns of the dancers' kapa skirts. The photo, taken sometime in the late 1800s, is part of more than 22,000 glass plates from the James J. Williams Collection that the Hawai‘i State Archives, a division of the state Department of Accounting and General Services, has acquired in the last few years.

2 weeks ago | hawaiipublicradio.org | Cassie Ordonio

After a two-day delay due to weather conditions, the Polynesian voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia set sail Monday morning from Oʻahu to Hilo, navigating some of the most dangerous channels in Hawaiʻi. “Coming out of Honolulu Harbor, it is a battle upwind and across some pretty rough channels,” said Lehua Kamalu, one of the captains and navigators for the two canoes. In 2022, she became the first female captain and navigator of Hōkūleʻa.