Disney has unveiled a new take on three huge animated movies, and it’s already proving to be a hit. We’ve become very used to remakes of Disney classics over the past 10-15 years or so, as the likes of The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Lilo & Stitch have turned live-action versions into a billion-dollar business for the Mouse House. What it hasn’t done previously, though, is remake its animated movies with new animation, something that has now changed.
As part of the Disney+ April additions, in what’s a historic release for the studio, Disney Animation’s “Songs in Sign Language” is their first production of its kind. It takes on three popular songs from some of its biggest animated movies, reanimating them in American Sign Language (ASL). These are:
- “The Next Right Thing” from Frozen 2
- “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto
- “Beyond” from Moana 2
It’s already something that’s resonating with viewers, as, via FlixPatrol, it’s at #1 overall on Disney+ in the United States. That’s an encouraging sign, because it’d be great to see Disney produce more of this.
Disney Animation’s Songs In Sign Language Is A Good Step Forward
Image via Disney+
The new release is a fantastic step forward in terms of making their releases more inclusive, and comes as part of National Deaf History Month. It provides a whole new way of experiencing these songs, including one of Disney’s biggest modern hits in “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” and a chance to actually see them animated, rather than with subtitles or an additional ASL interpreter, which makes them even more impactful, especially for young children who’ll now have the chance to witness them in this way.
What’s impressive is how much work went into remaking these musical numbers. It isn’t a simple case of tweaking what’s there, but around 95% of the animation was actually redone for Songs in Sign Language. Working in collaboration with Deaf West Theater, the onus here is on making the ASL into a true performance that’s choreographed and then animated, not simply a translation. There’s lots to enjoy for all viewers here, as it’s impressive even just on a purely technical level, but even more so in terms of what it might mean to people, and how it can allow them to see themselves represented, and even inspired.
There is, obviously, more that Disney and so many other studios can do in this regard, but it’s still a release that’s worth celebrating, and so it’s great to see it already trending on Disney+. Given Disney’s incredible catalogue of movies and songs, then there’s so much potential to do more of these, and it seems like the demand is there.
Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language is now streaming on Disney+ in the U.S.
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