Comparative Analysis of Verbal and Non-Verbal Expressive Means in Disney/Pixar Movies (Musical Adaptations) as Adapted for the Russian Viewer

The phenomenon of localisation appeared in the film industry in the 1990s, a decade later its introduction to the software programming sphere. Being a consequence of globalisation, it gained popularity within the industries that produce the products for the global market. Hence, filmmakers, who distribute their products worldwide, included localisation in the process of product’s adaptation. The Walt Disney Animation Studios, as a representative of the so-called “The Big Five” studios, successfully uses localisation and meets the needs of the viewers from different countries. One of the issues that localisers may face is rendering and adaptation of stylistic devices in the songs, because The Walt Disney Animation Studios is popular for their animated musicals. This senior thesis overviews the localisation of stylistic devices in the case of the songs of “Frozen 2.” The research aims to identify linguistic and extra-linguistic components of the motion picture’s songs and their localisation for the Russian audience. Firstly, the phenomenon of localisation is explained, from the perspective of the filmmaking industry. Secondly, the contrastive analysis will be provided, sharing the most frequent and effective translation techniques for the stylistic devices used in the songs. The results of the public survey illustrate Russian viewers’ opinions on the final localisation product. The study contributes to the existing information about songs localisation and may aid at further investigation of the topic.