In celebration of National Deaf History Month, Disney+ has officially debuted Disney's Songs in Sign Language. This incredible new release reimagines and animates iconic musical moments from recent hits using American Sign Language (ASL).
The collection features beautifully animated versions of several fan favorites, including:
- 'The Next Right Thing' from Frozen 2
- 'Beyond' from Moana 2
- 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' from Encanto
The Personal Inspiration Behind Disney's Songs in Sign Language
The project was directed by Disney animator and director Hyrum Osmond, a creator with a deep personal connection to the medium. His father is Deaf, which served as the primary catalyst for this production.
“The inspiration for this project came from my dad,” explains Osmont. “He was always very supportive of my career, and he would always watch my movies with subtitles. He also loved going to the theater because he could feel the vibrations and experience things in a whole different way."
Osmond began contemplating how much more inclusive the studio's music could be. "I began thinking, ‘What would our Disney songs look like if we had made them for him? What if we had made them for the Deaf community? What would that look like?“
A Collaborative Effort to Bridge Communication Barriers
Sign language is one of the most beautiful forms of communication on Earth, and Osmond believes animation is the ideal medium to showcase it. He also noted that this project aims to foster a deeper connection with the Deaf community.
"Growing up, I never learned sign language, and that barrier prevented me from really connecting with my dad," Osmond continued. "This reimagining of Disney Animation musical numbers helps bring down barriers and allows us to connect in a special way with our audiences in the Deaf community.”
To achieve this, Osmond worked alongside producers Heather Blodget and Christina Chen. Together, they managed more than 20 animators working with specialized sign language references.
Technical Innovation and Choreography
The production relied heavily on collaboration with DJ Kurs, the artistic director for Deaf West Theatre. Working with choreographer Catalene Sacchetti and a group of eight performers, the team focused on translating lyrics into ASL by prioritizing concepts and emotion rather than word-for-word transcription.
This required significant changes to the existing footage. Osmond revealed that "in the majority of cases, we created entirely new animation. There were a lot of adjustments that we had to do within the animation to be true to the original intention."
A Historic Opportunity for Global Storytelling
For the collaborators involved, seeing Disney's Songs in Sign Language integrated into the fabric of Disney storytelling was a landmark moment.
"The chance to bring our language into that world was a historic opportunity to reach a global audience," said Kurs. "Working on this project was very emotional. For so long, we have known and loved the artistic medium of Disney Animation. Here, the art form was adapting to us."
