Representatives from the Sami have had input into the making of ‘Frozen 2' as producers seek to get the details right.
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf are back as the long-awaited movie ‘Frozen 2’ hits the big screen in December. Cinema-goers will experience Sami culture, reindeer herding and Norwegian nature.
After just a couple of teaser trailers, Disney has finally released the trailer. It's every but as visually stunning as you would expect, and hints at the plot: “Far away, as north as we can go, once stood an enchanted forest.”
Check out the trailer here:
Because so much of what happens in the movie is based on Sami lifestyle, Disney asked Sami people for help.
Help with the Sami-inspired details
For the last three years, Disney executives and producers have worked with representatives from Sami communities across the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Read more: The Sami People of Norway
An expert board of six visited the California headquarters and had direct contact with the animators.
Anne Lajla Utsi from the International Sami Film Institute is one of six people that helped. She told NRK that it has been a very educational collaboration. She also praised the animators for their willingness to be open and listen.
A successful collaboration
The brains behind the hit Frozen movie and its sequel is producer Peter del Vecho. He praised the Sami team for being warm, hospitable and helpful.
“We obviously want to make a credible film. Of course, it is not entirely realistic since it is an animated film, but the details are important to us. Working with the collaborative group and understanding the nuances has resulted in a fantastic collaboration,” he told NRK.
The three Sami Parliament presidents Aili Keskitalo (Norway), Tiina Sanila-Aikio (Finland) and Per-Olof Nutti (Sweden), along with the president of the Sami Council Åsa Larsson-Blind, were all involved in the collaboration agreement.
They signed a “benefits declaration” on the collaboration. This laid out for the Sami to receive proper representation in the movie, and also that the film should “give back” to the communities.
One of the ways that will happen is through a Sami language version of the film. It will be released on 25th December, the same day as the Norwegian version. The movie is set for release in the UK and USA in late November.
Another tourism bump for Norway?
The first Frozen movie recorded worldwide sales of more than USD $1.2 billion. It took more than a little inspiration from Norwegian landmarks including stave churches, Oslo's Akershus castle and the fjords.
Such was the success of the first movie, Norway tourism bosses said it was responsible for much of the growth in tourism in the years following the film's release. Disney's cruise line even ran a special Frozen cruise of Norway.
Time will tell if the second movie captured the world's imagination once again. One thing is for sure though. The producers are doing everything they can to get the details right.
