Disney Animation and Deaf West Theatre Team Up for New Sign Language Series

Disney Magic Meets ASL

Disney is proving that the “universal language” of storytelling is about to get a lot more expressive. This spring, Walt Disney Animation Studios is teaming up with the Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre to launch a groundbreaking new series: Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language.

Debuting on Disney+ on April 27, the release is timed perfectly to honor National Deaf History Month. The series reimagines three iconic musical sequences from recent hits, blending the fluid artistry of Disney animation with the rich, conceptual beauty of American Sign Language (ASL).

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Reimagining the Classics

Rather than simply adding a signer in the corner of the screen, Disney has gone a step further. Under the direction of veteran animator Hyrum Osmond, a team of more than 20 animators created entirely new animation for these sequences.

By reworking the character movements to perform in ASL, the studio ensures that the characters themselves are communicating directly with the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The featured songs include:

• “The Next Right Thing” (Frozen 2)
• “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (Encanto)
• “Beyond” (Moana 2)

A Partnership of Concept and Emotion

The collaboration with Los Angeles-based Deaf West Theatre was essential to ensuring cultural and linguistic authenticity. Artistic Director DJ Kurs, alongside choreographer Catalene Sacchetti and a troupe of eight performers, worked to translate lyrics not just word-for-word, but through the deep concepts and emotions inherent in the songs.

“For so long, we have known and loved the artistic medium of Disney Animation. Here, the art form was adapting to us,” says Kurs. “I hope this unlocks possibilities in the minds and hearts of Deaf children, and that this all leads to more down the road.”

A Personal Mission

For Director Hyrum Osmond, the project is more than a professional milestone—it’s a personal bridge. Osmond’s father is Deaf, and he reflects on how a language barrier impacted their relationship growing up. He cites two primary reasons for the project:

First, he believes sign language is one of the most beautiful ways to communicate and that animation is the perfect medium to showcase it. Second, he wants to connect with the Deaf community in a way he wasn’t able to as a child, using these musical numbers to “bring down barriers.”

Go Behind the Scenes

To give audiences a deeper look at this intricate process, Disney+ will also debut a special behind-the-scenes featurette. The documentary will take viewers into the collaboration, showing how the animators worked with ASL reference performers to capture the specific hand shapes, facial expressions, and body language that make ASL so vibrant.

This series marks a significant step forward in inclusive storytelling, ensuring that the magic of Disney is truly accessible to everyone.

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