Three popular songs from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ ‘Frozen 2’, ‘Encanto’, and ‘Moana 2’ have been reanimated in American Sign Language (ASL) to celebrate National Deaf History Month.
The reimagined musical scenes are part of Disney’s “Songs in Sign Language” project, which debuted on streaming platform Disney+ on April 27.
Disney fans can now enjoy ASL versions of ‘The Next Right Thing’ (Frozen 2), ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ (Encanto), and ‘Beyond’ (Moana 2).
Made with real actors and animators, not AI
When snippets of the reanimated songs were uploaded online, many immediately thought: “Oh, it’s definitely made with AI (artificial intelligence)!”
Who can blame them, really? So-called “AI slops” have been everywhere on social media, most of which claim to be new “animated” features from big studios like Disney.
But fear not, no generative AI was used in making Songs in Sign Language.
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Veteran Disney animator and director Hyrum Osmond led a team of over 20 animators and collaborated with a Los Angeles-based Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre to create new versions of the iconic songs.
Deaf West’s artistic director, DJ Kurs, worked with sign language reference choreographer Catalene Sacchetti and eight Deaf West performers to carefully translate the lyrics into ASL.
The choreographed sequences were then used as reference by the animators.
The team focused on “concepts and emotion instead of a word-for-word transcription,” according to an official Disney statement on March 4.
“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,” said Osmond.
Viewers can witness a more in-depth exploration of the collaboration through a special behind-the-scenes featurette that accompanies the songs.
Connecting with the Deaf community
One of the main reasons why Osmond wanted to do this project was his desire to connect with the Deaf community.
Although Osmond’s father is Deaf, he admitted that he never learned sign language growing up, “and that barrier prevented me from really connecting with my dad.”
“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,” he said.
Osmond also noted that “sign language is one of the most beautiful ways of communication on Earth,” and it is best showcased through animation.
“I’m grateful that the Studio got behind making something so impactful,” Osmond added.
For Kurs, working on Songs in Sign Language 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,” said the artistic director, who described the project as a “historic opportunity to reach a global audience.”
“I hope this unlocks possibilities in the minds and hearts of Deaf children, and that this all leads to more down the road.”
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