0:04
Absolutely. I'm DJ Kurs, the artistic
0:06
director of Deaf West Theatre.
0:08
I'm Hiram Maslin, the director here in
0:10
Disney of Disney animation songs in
0:22
Could you share with me what each of you
0:24
brought to the project personally, and
0:26
then what each of you took away from the
0:32
I I think we'll have to start with time
0:41
when I I shared this earlier, but my dad
0:45
I didn't connect with him very much
0:49
Just uh there was always that barrier
0:52
And I think doing this project
0:56
me just kind of helps um
0:59
it it it at least symbolizes the
1:01
bringing down of that barrier and
1:03
allowing us to connect a little bit
1:09
And then Hiram reached out to us over at
1:12
Deaf West Theatre, my first response was
1:16
Yeah, it was but I mean, I didn't know
1:18
Hiram. I didn't know he had a deaf
1:19
father. I didn't know there was context.
1:21
I didn't know there was historical
1:23
reason for him to approach this project.
1:25
Once he said he's a child of a deaf
1:27
adult, I thought, you know what? This
1:28
actually might be the right project to
1:33
And once we did get together, I think it
1:35
was a Zoom meeting we had originally. We
1:38
talked about the process, and then
1:40
slowly started to develop step by step
1:44
project. Brought in the actors, brought
1:46
in the reference consultant. Catalene
1:49
developed the ASL for the project, so
1:51
I'd like to let her talk about that.
1:54
Yeah, so my personal connection to
1:55
Disney is that I grew up as a huge
1:58
Disney fan. Uh I had the VHS tapes the
2:01
VHS tapes of all every single Disney
2:03
princesses, and I watched them all the
2:05
time. So, when DJ got in touch with me
2:07
and asked if I'd be interested in doing
2:08
the translation work for this, I
2:10
immediately said yes, for sure, I'd love
2:12
to. So, um we went ahead and I did say
2:18
started the translation process from
2:19
there. So, I have a personal connection
2:22
to Disney. I mean, who what child
2:23
doesn't? Um but that's mine. So, then we
2:27
started developing the ASL
2:30
translation with the actors, working
2:34
Uh then we got everyone in the room for
2:35
the reference shoots.
2:41
put our actors through the paces.
2:44
And that's where the magic happened.
2:48
>> Having seen that that brief um
2:52
behind-the-scenes video, I guess uh you
2:53
could tell that was a moment that seemed
2:56
to really make things pop and come to
2:59
life. And I think a big part of this and
3:01
all of the shorts we've seen today is
3:03
there's a level of truth and personal
3:04
honesty that comes with all of these.
3:06
And and because of that, that's why
3:08
they're connecting with the viewer
3:09
through the screen. Could you talk about
3:11
the importance of that and the
3:15
the space that was created for that?
3:19
Yeah, well, I would just the
3:20
authenticity of it was just so important
3:23
uh that we do this right.
3:25
And that this wasn't just something that
3:27
was thrown together, hey, why not?
3:29
Uh a lot of time and attention, a lot of
3:31
thought into making sure that this was
3:35
uh would connect with the deaf
3:37
community, that that's something that
3:40
would appreciate, that was right.
3:42
And hence the connecting with DJ very
3:45
early on in the process.
3:50
Absolutely. Shout-out to all of our
3:52
actors as well. Uh without our great
3:54
talented actors, how they delivered the
3:56
lines, how they used their bodies as
3:59
instruments to express meaning to the
4:02
world, and that was captured by the
4:04
animators during this reference shoot
4:09
Do you have anything you hope people
4:11
really take away from this after they've
4:13
seen these three songs performed?
4:26
what I want them to leave with is a
4:30
With a sense of feeling
4:33
oh, what I'm seeing up there is
4:35
relatable. I can relate, something I
4:39
understand in my language. For
4:41
mainstream audience, I want them to be
4:46
have a different perception
4:48
of to art or animation in general. Um I
4:52
want them to leave inspired. So, it's my
4:55
hope for all audiences that they'll be
5:00
Yeah, I would I would agree. I I hope it
5:02
inspires. I hope it inspires the
5:05
creative process in them. I hope it
5:07
inspires them to become animators. Uh
5:10
that's always a hope.
5:15
American Sign Language is is the
5:18
language that we use to connect with
5:19
each other in the world. It's a very
5:21
versatile art form in and of itself as
5:23
well, and I hope people recognize that.
5:26
And I hope that this leads to more
5:29
moments like this where
5:32
our personal language becomes connected
5:36
to the greater mainstream audience and
5:41
Final question, just a fun one to
5:44
be a little bit weird.
5:46
Favorite Disney character growing up?
6:00
Uh Alice? It is. Alice in Wonderland
6:03
actually is one of my favorite Disney
6:05
films. It's just so strange and so
6:10
I just grew up with it, and the Cheshire
6:11
Cat was always uh love it.
6:14
I want to see your version of ASL
6:16
Cheshire Cat. Yeah, let's [laughter] try
6:21
I think my favorite Disney character,
6:24
it's hard for me because I grew up
6:26
loving Disney, but I do have my
6:28
favorite. It's Princess Tiana.
6:33
To this day and forever will. Love it.
6:38
Growing up for me, Pluto.
6:40
Uh I he couldn't talk.
6:51
Is there if you could you could just
6:53
poof and make another song come to life,
6:55
what would be the dream song?
7:02
How do I answer that?
7:05
>> You can't answer it. D2's can't.
7:13
>> Yeah, that's a tough one.
7:19
Yeah, part is part of your world. Songs
7:22
are. I think the song is part of your
7:30
I'm sorry, that interpreter the name of
7:31
the song is Part of Your World. I was
7:37
I think for me, um all of them.
7:40
All the songs in the Disney canon.
7:44
Love it. I would agree right on that.
7:47
>> I will say it was very beautiful
7:49
watching them come to life in front of
7:50
us in a different way, and
7:53
it surprised me also my one semester of
7:55
ASL was coming back to me over the
7:57
course of the day. I was like, oh, I
8:01
and it made me want to see more of this
8:03
just cuz I do think it really does open
8:06
up a beautiful world of of storytelling
8:09
and in animation. So, thank you guys.
