See clips of Season 6 ‘sign over’ performances by deaf actress Shaylee Mansfield, using American Sign Language to communicate new character ‘Shaylee,’ expanding inclusivity and awareness of ASL.
Season 6 of DreamWorks Madagascar: A Little Wild features deaf actress Shaylee Mansfield in a “sign over” performance, one of the first in a kids’ animated series. The character is named and modeled after Mansfield and was animated by using a video reference of the actress performing for animators to model from, building upon the previous five seasons featuring ASL and deaf characters. Like series favorites “Dave and Pickles,” Mansfield’s character, Shaylee, uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate, expanding inclusivity and promoting awareness of ASL.
Watch the featurette highlighting the process used by Mansfield alongside Delbert Whetter, Jevon Whetter, and Justin Maurer, who serve as ASL consultants on the series.
Mansfield began her career as a deaf YouTuber with the goal of inspiring families and children worldwide to learn ASL. As an actress, she works to show authenticity to the deaf community and expand awareness for ASL through her performances
Check out new “sign over” performance in the Season 6 clips:
Signing with Shaylee:
Wanna Trade? – In the clip, when Dave trades Melman’s rare sea lion card, Gloria is determined to get it back!
Also watch the gang in the musical clip:
Case of the Popped Tire - Melman discovers a popped tire on his toy ambulance on the night of the big toy-car race! Will he and the zoo crew get to the bottom of what really happened
Last but not least – here’s the official Season 6 trailer:
Madagascar: A Little Wild is executive produced by Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny) with Dana Starfield serving as co-executive producer. The series features the voice talents of Tucker Chandler as “Alex;” Amir O’Neil as “Marty;” Shaylin Becton as “Gloria;” Jasmine Gatewood as “Kate;” Luke Lowe as “Melman;” and Eric Petersen as “Ant’Ney.” Special guest stars include Candace Parker as “Sadie Swish” and Megan Hilty as “Ziggy” & “Waffles.”
DreamWorks Madagascar: A Little Wild Season 6 episodes are now streaming on Peacock and Hulu.
Source: DreamWorks Animation
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
