Disney Reimagines Three Songs in American Sign Language for Disney+

Disney Animation has recreated three of its most popular songs in American Sign Language, in what those involved in the project are calling a historic first for the Deaf community.

"Songs in Sign Language" arrives on Disney+ on 27th April, in celebration of National Deaf History Month, and features newly animated versions of "The Next Right Thing" from Frozen 2, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto and "Beyond" from Moana 2. A behind-the-scenes featurette will also be available showing how the project came together.

The initiative was spearheaded by veteran Disney animator and director Hyrum Osmond, whose father is Deaf. "Growing up, I never learned sign language," Osmond said. "I felt a lot of regret because I could not connect with my dad. With this project, I just wanted to do something that could take down barriers." He described animation as uniquely suited to the task: "If ever there was a medium to showcase sign language, it was animation."

More than 20 animators volunteered to work on the project, which was developed in collaboration with DJ Kurs, the artistic director of the Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles, and sign language reference choreographer Catalene Sacchetti, along with eight Deaf West performers. The team approached the lyrics not as a word-for-word translation but through concept and emotion. "In sign language, there might be one word and many, many ways of signing it, with different handshapes to convey meaning," Sacchetti explained. "Because of that, we really needed a team approach, multiple opinions and voices in the room, and that was critical to the process."

The team also ensured each character signed in their own distinct way, reflecting the reality that ASL is not uniform. "Not all Deaf people sign the same way. Some are fast signers. Some are slow. Some are high-energy. Some are more low-key. We wanted to apply that concept," Sacchetti said. In the Encanto sequence alone, as many as eight performers appear on screen that are all signing simultaneously in a single frame, with each character signing "no" in a different way. "Going down the hallway, you see three different characters signing 'no' in three different ways — different voices saying the same thing," Kurs said.

In most cases, the animation is entirely new rather than being adapted from the original. Osmond said that particular care went into the facial expressions, since so much of ASL is conveyed through the face. "If the face isn't right, it can mean something totally different. So there was a lot of attention on facial expressions — the eyes, the brows. We worked very hard on that."

Kurs said the project felt significant from the moment it was proposed. "Disney stories are the universal language of childhood. The chance to bring our language into that world was a historic opportunity to reach a global audience. For so long, we have known and loved the artistic medium of Disney Animation. Here, the art form was adapting to us." He added: "I hope this unlocks possibilities in the minds and hearts of Deaf children, and that this all leads to more down the road."

Sacchetti described the wider impact simply: "The Deaf community has never had the opportunity to experience this in entertainment. So this project, this moment, is so exciting. I believe the Deaf community will feel this is a historic first. They will see themselves on screen in an animated representation that's never been done before."