Disney is expanding its reach and inclusivity with a new kind of remake. In honor of National Deaf History Month, the studio announced it will debut three music videos reanimated to feature characters like Moana, Elsa and Mirabel signing in American Sign Language.
While films and music videos have long offered translations for the Deaf community, content is typically delivered through a small interpreter in the corner of the screen. This project is a rare instance where the characters themselves are reanimated to perform the signs.
The three reimagined songs include “The Next Right Thing” from “Frozen 2,” “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from “Encanto” and “Beyond” from “Moana 2.”
The project was directed by Hyrum Osmond, a veteran animator and director at Disney, in collaboration with artistic director DJ Kurs and the team at Los Angeles’ Deaf West Theater. A team of more than 20 animators used sign language references created specifically for Disney’s “Songs in Sign Language” series.
“In the majority of cases, we created entirely new animation,” Osmond said. “There were a lot of adjustments that we had to do within the animation to be true to the original intention.”
Osmond’s father — Virl Osmond, the older brother of Donny and Marie Osmond — is deaf, giving the director a personal motivation for the project. While he shared he did not learn ASL growing up, a barrier he said kept him from “really connecting” with his father, he now calls the medium “one of the most beautiful ways of communication on Earth.”
“If ever there was a medium to showcase sign language, it was animation,” Osmond said in a Disney press release.
“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 continued.
The three new songs will debut on Disney+ on April 27.
The reactions online have been largely positive, with one user writing: “VERY rare Disney W (win), super cool to see this! ASL inclusivity is so nice.”
Several users online have expressed skepticism about whether the animators are using artificial intelligence. Like this X user who wrote, “Wait thats actually super cool. Provided they didn’t use AI of course.” To address this, the release will also include a behind-the-scenes featurette showing the human artists and collaboration behind the new videos.
National Deaf History Month
National Deaf History Month is celebrated from March 13 through April 15 to honor the achievements of the Deaf and hard of hearing community.
Milestones include the founding of the American School for the Deaf on April 15, 1817, and the establishment of Gallaudet University, the world’s first institution for higher learning for people who are deaf and hard of hearing on April 8, 1864.
While ASL interpretation in mainstream media remains uncommon, third-party tools have begun to fill in the gap. In 2023, a Chrome Extension called SignUp launched, offering about 60 movies with ASL overlays on Disney+ and Netflix.
Experts at Emerson College argue that reanimation and ASL interpretation provide more context, like tone of voice and inflection that captioning cannot.
Emily Blumberg, a clinical instructor at Emerson College, noted that ASL is a distinct language with its own grammar. So while the captioning can be understood, it is not a direct translation for the Deaf community to understand.
Other platforms are increasing accessibility. HBO Max has introduced interpreted versions of major titles like “Barbie,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “A Minecraft Movie.”