Disney Animation partnered with Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles to reimagine popular musical scenes from three Disney movies, featuring animated versions of actors who gracefully performed them in American Sign Language (ASL). The songs/scenes are “The Next Right Thing” from Frozen 2, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto, and “Beyond” from Moana 2.
Created in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre, ‘Songs in Sign Language’ features nearly all-new animation designed specifically for ASL performance. Deaf actors, artists, and cultural consultants worked closely with the animation team to ensure authenticity, clarity, and emotional accuracy.
This beautiful short film was directed by Hyrum Osmond, a veteran Disney animator, who worked closely with the deaf community to ensure proper representation.
Osmond led a team of more than 20 animators who worked with sign language reference expressly created for Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language. DJ Kurs, artistic director for Deaf West Theatre, worked with sign language reference choreographer Catalene Sacchetti and a group of eight performers from Deaf West Theatre, reimagining and choreographing lyrics into ASL by focusing on concepts and emotion instead of a word-for-word transcription.
via Tom Scott
