Disney have confirmed that they will add Icelandic voiceover and translation to Disney+ after Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Education and Culture, sent a letter to the CEO of Disney last week.
In the letter, Lilja encouraged the company to make use of the vast material that was available to Disney in order to bring joy to young, and old, Icelanders.
A Facebook post from the Minister of Education shows the letter she received from Hans van Rijn, the Country Manager for The Walt Disney Company Nordics.
Svarið frá Disney er vísbending um góðan vilja. Vinna er hafin við að koma íslenskum skjátextum og talsetningum í notkun…
Posted by Lilja Alfreðsdóttir / Mennta- og menningarmálaráðherra. on Monday, 8 February 2021
The letter reads “Since Disney+ launched last September, we have been exploring how we can add more dubbed and subtitled stories in Icelandic. I am pleased to share with you today that the work is underway to make that a reality.”
The pressure on Disney paid off.
In the Facebook post from Lilja, she writes how pleased she is with Disney’s swift response.
“Disney’s response is a sign of goodwill. Work has begun on putting Icelandic subtitles and dubbing into use on the streaming service Disney+. It is planned that the material will be available in the spring, but I will push for the work to be accelerated.”
The letter concludes with Hans saying that it will take a few months for the voiceover to be added and that another letter will be sent when the translation is available for families to enjoy.
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