Walt Disney Animation Studios to release Saami-language version of “Frozen 2”

A still from the Walt Disney film “Frozen 2”. Casting for North Saami voice actors is set to begin shortly, say producers. (Disney)
The sequel to the Walt Disney mega-hit film Frozen will also be available in the Saami language,  Walt Disney Animation Studios has announced in a joint news release along with the Sámi Parliamentary Council (SPC) and The Saami Council.

The filmmakers behind Frozen 2 said parts of the new film were inspired by visits to Saami areas and story research done in consultation with a Saami working group.

“For all of our films at Disney Animation, research is crucial to building fantastical yet relatable and believable worlds,” said producer Peter Del Vecho in the news release on Friday.

“At the genesis of creating Frozen 2, our filmmaking team embarked on a research trip to Iceland, Norway and Finland. We were deeply moved by so many of the places we visited and the people we met, including a visit with the Sámi.”

The Saami are an Arctic Indigenous group. There is no census just for Saami but most sources estimate their population at around 100,000.

Their traditional homeland spans the Arctic regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia’s western Arctic.  There are numerous Saami languages and dialects spoken across the four countries. Frozen 2 will be produced in North Saami, the language – that most sources estimate has around 17,000 native speakers – that’s the most spoken.

“It is also very gratifying to be able to share the news now as the UN celebrates the International Year of Indigenous Languages this year,” said Saami leaders (pictured above left to right: Tuomas Aslak Juuso, Asa Larsson-Blind, Aili Keskitalo and Per-Olof Nutti) in a joint statement announcing the Saami-language version of the film. (Saami Council)

In a joint release, Aili Keskitalo from the Saami parliament in Norway; Tuomas Aslak Juuso from the Saami parliament in Finland; Per-Olof Nutti from the Saami Parliament in Sweden and Asa Larsson-Blind from the Saami Council, a non-governmental organization that represents Saami in all four counties, said the project was even more meaningful for happening during the current United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages.

“We are deeply proud and grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Disney Animation,” they said.

“We are beyond excited that the film, Frozen 2, will be accessible to Sámi children in their own native tongue.”

Casting for the Saami version of the film will begin soon according to producers.

The movie is scheduled to be released in December 2019 along with the other Nordic-language versions of the film.

Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca

Related stories from around the North:

Canada: Inuit-produced, Haida-language Indigenous film gets recognized by Toronto International Film Festival, CBC News

Finland: Sámi-themed Finnish short film makes Sundance lineup, Yle News

Norway: Arctic Indigenous Film Fund launches in Norway, Radio Canada International

Sweden: Film exploring racism against Sami wins big at Swedish film awards, Radio Sweden

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn is an award-winning journalist and manages Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic news cooperation project. Eilís has reported from the Arctic regions of all eight circumpolar countries and has produced numerous documentary and multimedia series about climate change and the issues facing Indigenous peoples in the North.

Her investigative report "Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change," about the murder of Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Inuk man from Arctic Quebec, received the silver medal for “Best Investigative Article or Series” at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The project also received an honourable mention for excellence in reporting on trauma at the 2019 Dart Awards in New York City.

Her report “The Arctic Railway: Building a future or destroying a culture?” on the impact a multi-billion euro infrastructure project would have on Indigenous communities in Arctic Europe was a finalist at the 2019 Canadian Association of Journalists award in the online investigative category.

Her multimedia project on the health challenges in the Canadian Arctic, "Bridging the Divide," was a finalist at the 2012 Webby Awards.

Her work on climate change in the Arctic has also been featured on the TV science program Découverte, as well as Le Téléjournal, the French-Language CBC’s flagship news cast.

Eilís has worked for media organizations in Canada and the United States and as a TV host for the Discovery/BBC Worldwide series "Best in China."

26 thoughts on “Walt Disney Animation Studios to release Saami-language version of “Frozen 2”

  • Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 22:53
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    This movie was played in the Mobdro 2.1.84 application

    Reply
  • Tuesday, July 7, 2020 at 04:19
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    Nice share i really like to watch movies. i also watch this frozen 2 movie

    Reply
  • Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 11:05
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    You know why?I fell i love with Elsa and her super powers.Thank you for Posting!

    Reply
  • Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 00:54
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    Both the Frozen parts of Disney films are awesome. And people liked them so much. These characters are my all time favorite. I am waiting for the next part also.

    Reply
  • Thursday, September 2, 2021 at 13:06
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    I love this, thank you I’ll share this with my friends.

    Reply
  • Friday, July 22, 2022 at 15:34
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    Doramas (also spelled Doramos) was a 15th-century indigenous warrior of the Canary
    Islands who was a member of the resistance on the island of Gran Canaria.

    Reply
  • Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 11:17
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    I would love to watch it. All their series and the games they created are really awesome.

    Reply
  • Monday, January 9, 2023 at 06:28
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    I think this is a great initiative by the Walt Disney Animation Studios to release a Saami-language version of “Frozen 2.” It’s fantastic that they’re taking the time and effort to cater to an underserved population and make sure that everyone can enjoy the movie in their native language. This shows great respect for the Saami people and their culture, and I’m sure it will be warmly welcomed by the community.

    Reply
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