Disney Adapts Hit Songs Like ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Into ASL, Expanding Access for Deaf Audiences
As part of National Deaf History Month, Disney is releasing three musical numbers from its animated films in American Sign Language (ASL). Called Sign Language Songs, the sequences will debut on Disney+ on April 27, but we have our first glimpse of what lies ahead.
ASL sequences include We Don’t Talk About Bruno from Encanto, The Next Right Thing from Frozen 2, and Beyond from Moana 2. Disney animator and director Hyrum Osmond is leading the project, alongside producers Heather Blodget and Christina Chen. The team collaborated with artistic director DJ Kurs and Los Angeles’ Deaf West Theater to create the reimagined sequences.
See also: Why Subtitles Aren’t Enough: The Growing Demand for ASL in Entertainment
On Monday, several media outlets shared previews of the upcoming project. Here is an excerpt from We Don’t Talk About Bruno, posted by Daps Magic:
And another from The Next Right Thing:
And here is an excerpt from Beyond:
More than 20 animators worked on the Sign Language Songs. Kurs worked with leading sign language choreographer Catalene Sacchetti and eight interpreters from Deaf West Theater. Together, they “carefully reimagined and choreographed the ASL lyrics focusing on concepts and emotions rather than word-for-word transcription,” Disney said in a statement.
“In the majority of cases, we created entirely new animation,” Osmond said in a statement. “We had to make a lot of adjustments to the animation to stay true to the original intention.”
The songs will debut on Disney Plus alongside a behind-the-scenes featurette on how the clips came to life.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 430 million people suffer from some form of hearing loss. Unlike closed captioning, ASL can convey more emotion, nuance, and expression, which can make content more impactful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. A growing number of platforms are incorporating ASL optionsincluding HBO Max. SignUp Media is a Chrome extension that overlays a sign language interpreter onto content from streamers like Netflix, Disney Plus, and Peacock. And major TV events like the Daytime Emmy Awards and the Oscars have also added live ASL broadcasts.
Deaf West has previously collaborated with Disney to add ASL rendition on YouTube to songs like I See the Light from Tangled. Disney’s latest project in this area could lead to more ASL options for future films and TV series.
“Disney stories are the universal language of childhood. The chance to bring our language into this world was a historic opportunity to reach a global audience,” Kurs said in a statement. “For so long, we have known and loved the artistic medium of Disney animation. Here, the art form has adapted to us. I hope this opens possibilities in the minds and hearts of deaf children, and that it all leads to more things in the future.”
