I don’t know about you, but for me, Disney was one of the best parts of my childhood. I would dress up as Disney princesses like Elsa, Belle, and Ariel all the time. Belle and Ariel are still my role models (and my favorite princesses). However, one of the best things about Disney was the music. I loved it when the characters would just break out into song. Learning Disney songs was literally one of my pastimes. The music is part of Disney’s magic, and I had never thought to consider what it would be like if I were not able to hear the music. Thank goodness, Disney has thought of that.
National Deaf History Month was celebrated in April, and on April 27, 2026, Disney premiered Songs in Sign Language. Songs in Sign Language is a collection of three of Disney’s popular songs reimagined in American Sign Language. With the assistance of Deaf West Theatre, Disney chose to reanimate the songs “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Encanto, “The Next Right Thing,” from Frozen 2, and “Beyond,” from Moana 2. These songs were chosen for their high emotional intensity, making it easier for deaf people to connect with the lyrics. The emotion in these songs would also be easier to visually interpret, making them the perfect picks.
Hyrum Osmond is a Senior Animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and he was also the director of Disney Songs in Sign Language. Breaking communication barriers means so much to him. “The inspiration for this is my father, who is hard of hearing,” Osmond said in an interview with the Walt Disney Company. “Growing up, I never learned sign language. I have a lot of regret about that, because I couldn’t connect with him. I wanted to take down barriers with this project.” Hyrum Osmond wants everyone to have a connection to these movies and to each other.
Disney has never done an animation like Songs in Sign Language before, and it was much more difficult than simply adapting the animation from the original movies. They had to make sure that the sign language was authentic, and perhaps more importantly, they had to make sure it was correct. Considering this, the studio collaborated with Deaf West Theatre to ensure a smooth process. Hyrum Osmond worked closely with DJ Kurs (Deaf West Theatre’s artistic director) to find ways to present each song’s lyrics thoughtfully and deliberately.
Osmond led a team of more than 20 animators, all working with sign language expressions for Songs in Sign Language. DJ Kurs worked with the sign language reference choreographer Catalene Sacchetti and eight other performers from Deaf West Theatre to make the choreographed lyrics not only about the words, but also about the emotion. In some ways, a whole new animation was created because they had to make so many adjustments to the original animation.
Personally, I think it is very inspiring that Disney is now taking the time to make its songs enjoyable for all. Hopefully, this will lead to more animations like Songs in Sign Language, but for now, we should be thankful for the animations we have.
