For more than a century, Walt Disney Animation Studios has produced some of the most impactful and inspirational stories in cinema history. Now streaming exclusively on Disney+, Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language continues the Studio’s legacy of creativity and innovation by reimagining a trio of musical numbers from recent films in American Sign Language (ASL). The first-of-its-kind project — made in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre — is the brainchild of Hyrum Osmond, whose Disney credits include Frozen (2013) and Olaf Presents (2021).
“The inspiration for this is my father, who is hard of hearing,” Osmond said. “Growing up, I never learned sign language. I have a lot of regret about that, because I couldn’t connect with him. I wanted to take down barriers with this project. It’s really all about connection.”
Osmond added, “We’ve never done anything like this at Disney Animation before.”
Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language — which debuts during National Deaf History Month — reimagines in “The Next Right Thing” from Frozen 2 (2019), “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto (2021), and “Beyond” from Moana 2 (2024). A team of more than 20 animators worked on the musical numbers. “Many of them volunteered for it, because it was just such a special thing. They wanted to be a part of it,” Osmond said. “That made a difference. This is something unique that really resonated with a lot of people on the crew.”
Creatively and technically, the process was much more complicated than simply adapting the existing animation from the original films and creating new hand gestures. To ensure that the sign language was authentic and appropriate, the Studio collaborated with Deaf West Theatre, working closely with artistic director DJ Kurs, to find thoughtful ways to present each song’s lyrics — resulting new animation for approximately 95% of the shots.
Now Streaming
Newly Reimagined
Three musical numbers from Walt Disney Animation Studios are reimagined in American Sign Language.
“We watched the [original] films, and then we analyzed the context of the songs within the larger story,” Kurz explained. “Then, we decided what each lyric meant and how it fit within the beat and the rhythm of the song. From there, we developed a general idea of what signs we would use, and then we presented them to the actors to see how it would look… Some of the signs are more on the hands, and others are more on the face or in the body.”
Osmond added, “Sign language and English are not a direct translation. They’re very different. When we went in to reimagine these sequences, in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre, it was very important for us both to work with the Deaf community to identify exactly how these signs should look, because we want them to be real — to be genuine.”
Other equally important considerations were taken during this process. For “Beyond,” Kurs cast an actor of Pacific Islands heritage who is Deaf to retain each movement’s cultural nuances. For “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” Colombian actors who are Deaf were cast to ensure authenticity.
“We talked over the translation I developed, and then I made changes based on their feedback,” Catalene Sacchetti, sign language reference choreographer for the project, said. “For example, ‘rat’ in American Sign Language is also the sign for other things, like ‘fake’ or ‘pretend.’ How do I make the meaning clear to avoid misunderstandings? I asked the Colombian consultants what their sign for ‘rat’ is, and it’s different… It seemed to be a better fit for what’s happening in the actual scene, so we chose to use the Colombian sign for ‘rat’ in [‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’], because it really goes with the aesthetics of the scene.”
Osmond said he hopes audiences — particularly those within the Deaf community — feel a deeper sense of “connection” when they stream Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language on Disney+. “To have the support of the Studio, from the very beginning, has been huge,” Osmond said. “They saw the vision. They saw how important this could be. That, to me, is pretty special.”
