This initiative is part of the Scheme for the Promotion of Reading being implemented by the Ministry to encourage the young to take up reading as a hobby.
In order to promote reading habits among children and young people, Disney and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport have signed an agreement to promote a more modern, attractive and inclusive reading image for this section of the population. One of the main initiatives consists of a 20-second spot to be produced by Disney featuring characters from Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Monsters, Inc., The Descendants, Ratatouille and The Incredibles. Under the motto “Books are full of exciting stories. You can also discover the magic of reading”, the characters from these well-known movies and series will all appear with a book in their hands.
“Books have always played a key role in Disney’s stories, as a source of inspiration and even as a star feature, as in Beauty and the Beast. We wanted to make our emblematic characters available to the Spanish Ministry of Culture so that they can convey the magic of reading to children and their families in an original and fun way,” declared Simon Amselem, CEO of The Walt Disney Company for Spain and Portugal.
The spot will be broadcast during the months of April and May on all Disney channels – Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD – and through Disney’s and the Ministry’s social media channels. The campaign supports the Reading Promotion Scheme approved by the Ministry, the third initiative of its kind since the advent of democracy in Spain. For the first time, the initiative has been declared an Event of Exceptional Public Interest and has been endowed with an estimated budget of 29 million euros for the 2017-2020 period, encompassing more than one hundred activities for the current year.
For his part, the Secretary of State for Culture, Fernando Benzo, has declared that: “Those who discover books in their early years of life and those who develop a taste for reading during their childhood and youth, will never forget this pastime in their adult life. As the slogan of the Scheme reminds us, ‘Reading gives you extra lives,’ effectively enriching our personal and social life. It makes us more complete. So I thank Disney for volunteering to collaborate on this mission, demonstrating their commitment to young people.”