Tag: Disney

Moana

The island of Motonui looks so different, but somehow the same.

After a decade, Moana is back in theaters with a new look. Disney has created a live-action remake of the original animated film.

This project found us revisiting our work from the 2016 animated Moana. First, the original Moana sheet music files had to be converted to a new format. The original files were created in music notation software that was discontinued in 2024.

Then, we had to update the sheet music to match the vocal performances in the new version of the film. This required reviewing each character’s performance by ear, note-by-note, in every song in the film. There is no automation for this type of work. It requires the skilled listening and notation of a seasoned professional.

Finally, the 2016 sheet music transcriptions were updated to precisely match the new performances. It was ready for the translators and performers around the world to dub the songs into many new languages.

Toy Story 5 film poster - Character Lilypad, a green electronic tablet, displays “Hi! Let’s Play!” on a blue background. Other toy characters are behind Lilypad, with concerned expressions. Text at the bottom of the poster reads “ONLY IN THEATERS JUNE 19”.

Toy Story 5

SoS Goes Back to the Bedroom

Symbols of Sounds’ first summer film project is the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 5. This time the toys must confront their role in a child’s world dominated by screens and technology.

This marks the third film in the Toy Story series for which SoS has provided transcription of song vocals for localization.

Spring of Disney Television

It has been a busy spring at Symbols of Sound with lots of music transcription work for localization of Disney television productions. Today is the release of the new series Sofia the First: Royal Magic. The Sofia franchise is known for the quality of its songs. This new series features a new song in every episode. SoS previously transcribed songs for over 100 episodes of the original Sofia the First series, plus the Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess movie.

Other Disney television projects this spring have included

  • Bob’s Burgers
  • American Dad
  • Phineas & Ferb
  • Big City Greens
  • SuperKitties
  • Spidey and His Amazing Friends
  • Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+
  • Iron Man and His Awesome Friends
  • Disney Jr.’s Ariel
  • Bluey’s Big Play
  • Pupstruction

Stitch and Lilo nose to nose.
Lilo & Stich releases May 23, 2025

Lilo & Stitch

Creating trouble worldwide

Our latest Disney project is the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch. This version features the original 2002 animated film’s writer/director Chris Sanders once again as the voice of Stitch. SoS transcribed sung vocals from the film to create sheet music for localization.

To learn more about how our work helps Disney characters sing in dozens of languages, see the news from some of our other recent projects like, Snow White, Moana 2, and Mufasa. For those who want to dive deep, watch SoS’ Danita Ng-Poss and Jason Poss in a YouTube interview about transcribing Moana 2 alongside film composer Mark Mancina.

Lilo & Stitch is in theaters May 23, 2025.

Snow White (2025) film poster

Snow White

Transcription of Songs Old and New

SoS’s latest Disney feature is Snow White; a musical with over a dozen songs featuring choirs and multiple characters that needed transcription to sheet music for localization. In addition, some songs had separate edits for the film’s soundtrack album, requiring review and sometimes completely different sheet music.

One of the highlights of the project was the inclusion of some of Disney’s earliest songs, like “Heigh Ho”. Our work provided the opportunity to dissect and marvel at the superb musical craft that causes these songs to remain classics nearly 90 years later. And, yes, there was some whistling while we worked!