Yahoo Lifestyle Lin-Manuel Miranda Explained Why He Wasn’t Invited Back By Disney To Write Music For “Moana 2” Amid Growing Backlash Toward The Soundtrack
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Moana 2 made history with the biggest-ever box office opening for an animated film.
Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson both returned to voice their iconic characters, but to any eagle-eyed viewers, there was a notable name missing from the credits.
Fans of the original will remember that Moana’s unforgettable songs were penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda — who many know as the Broadway legend who gave the world Hamilton and In the Heights.
Lin-Manuel has been writing songs for Disney for a while — but he didn’t start with Moana. Did you know that before the 2016 hit, he actually composed two songs for Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
After Moana 2 was announced in February of this year, it was later revealed that Lin-Manuel would be replaced as songwriter by duo Barlow and Bear, who rose to fame in 2022 as the minds behind The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.
The pair won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album that same year. They’re currently the youngest and only all-female composing duo to work on a major Disney film.
On Monday night, in an interview with People, Lin-Manuel explained why he hadn’t returned to the world of Moana to write music, despite having been nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the original.
“There was never an opportunity to be on Moana 2,” Lin-Manuel said. Explaining that this was due to the movie’s production process, he added that the film “already had their songwriters.”
Back in 2020, the continuation of Moana was originally announced as a Disney+ series. However, early this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the series would be reworked into a film with a theatrical release. And so, when Barlow and Bear were originally brought in by Walt Disney Music President Tom MacDougall, they began working on Moana 2 as a series.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that also took place on Monday, Lin-Manuel clarified that he had gone straight from working on Encanto to receiving the script for Mufasa: The Lion King.
“It didn’t line up that way,” he said. “Moana 2 was already in process as a TV series, with Emily [Bear] and Abigail [Barlow]. So when that decision got made to turn [it] into a movie, they were already, you know. Already cookin’.”
While Moana 2 has had unquestionable success at the box office, some viewers online have had divided opinions — with the sequel only receiving 61% on Rotten Tomatoes as opposed to the 2016 original’s 95%.
And in an interview with Variety, Abigail of Barlow and Bear responded to some of the criticism of the music, saying, “Give it a month, all the kids will be singing it, and you’ll be tired of it.”
Her response sparked a LOT of discourse amongst viewers. Many were quick to suggest that this mentality was the reason why the sequel’s music may not have lived up to the original songs.
One viral post on X read, “this sentiment alone shows how the new songwriters miss the point. i think most disney songwriters lately aim for something purely catchy leaning into modern pop sounds, rather than a song written and composed well enough to carry the right emotions and deepen the story.”
While they were working on Moana 2, Barlow and Bear frequently heard from Lin-Manuel, who was only a “FaceTime call away.”
“He gave me books from musical theater storytelling greats [that were] all about how to craft a lyric and how to tell stories through music in the most succinct and pleasing way. He was like, ‘Don’t be afraid to lean into the things you like to listen to,’ and that was really helpful,” said Abigail.
And while speaking to People, Lin-Manuel himself said that he was “really proud” that the duo were working on the sequel alongside composers Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina.
You can catch Moana 2 in cinemas nationwide now. If you’ve seen it, LMK your thoughts in the comments.
"Moana 2" Director Dana Ledoux Miller Shared A Little Secret About Jemaine Clement In The MovieMorgan Sloss · Dec. 6, 2024
"Moana 2" Director Dana Ledoux Miller Revealed The Meaning Behind Moana's New Tattoo, And I'm ObsessedMorgan Sloss · Dec. 6, 2024
People Aren't Happy With Dwayne Johnson's Hot Take About Theater EtiquetteMatt Stopera · Nov. 25, 2024
