The Walt Disney Company is working on an Ojibwe language version of Star Wars: A New Hope. The project is coming from Disney/Lucasfilm along with the Dakota Ojibwe Tribal Council and the University of Manitoba to make an Ojibwe version of the film.
The voice work for the film will be happening in mostly in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. This will include script translation, auditions, and sound recordings. The actual sound mixing and post-production work will happen at Skywalker Sound in California. Currently, Disney and Lucasfilm is looking for people interested in auditioning for this dubbed version of the original Star Wars film. Anyone who is interested can visit StarWarsOjibwe.com.
There are five First Nations linguistic groups in Manitoba, including Ojibwe, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dakota and Dene. Minnesota has seven federally recognized Ojibwe tribes, including Bois Forte (Nett Lake), Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, White Earth and Red Lake. This movie is part of a greater effort by both groups and tribe to revitalize the Ojibwe language for future generations. There is also a Rosetta Stone project led by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe that is part of the efforts to save the language. All of this is necessary as many first-language Ojibwe speakers dwindle.
Star Wars: A New Hope was first released in 1977. It was written and directed by George Lucas. The film is a space opera film that tells the story of a young farm boy named Luke Skywalker who, after finding a hidden message from Princess Leia, is thrust into a galactic rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire. Joined by a wisecracking smuggler named Han Solo, his loyal Wookiee copilot Chewbacca, and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, Luke trains with the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and embarks on a daring mission to rescue Princess Leia from the clutches of the dark lord Darth Vader and the terrifying Death Star, a planet-destroying space station.
Although the film was released over 40 years ago, it continues to be a popular film that has led to spinoff movies, comics, television series, and more. It is generally liked the movie viewers of all ages and continues to be present in pop culture. What do you think of Star Wars: A New Hope being dubbed with the Ojibwe language? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
