Why Didn't Lin-Manuel Miranda Write the Music forMoana 2? All About the Songwriter’s Absence — and the Two History-Making Composers Who Stepped In

Mar. 15, 2025

Lin-manuel Miranda at the Gala Screening of ‘Moana’ on November 20, 2016 at Bafta in London, England ; Moana in Disney’s ‘Moana 2’ (2024).Photo:Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock ; Disney

Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock ; Disney

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs forMoanawere so influential that they won him a Grammy award but the songwriter didn’t return to make music for the Disney movie’s sequel.

Instead, the music forMoana 2— which hit theatres on Nov. 27 and broke multiple box office records — is the result of two history-making composers,Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.

According to an October 2024 interview withBillboard, Walt Disney Music president Tom MacDougall first approached the songwriting duo about a potential project around 2021. Though Barlow said they didn’t expect much, that potential project turned out to be aMoana-inspired series for Disney+. They had already started working on songs when Disney CEOBob Igerannounced the pivot fromshow to big-screen sequelin February 2024.

That switch made Barlow and Bear the youngest and first all-female writing duo to ever score a Disney film — and Barlow acknowledged toEntertainment Weeklythat they had big shoes to fill.

“It’s a passing of the baton to this younger generation,“Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in both films, also toldEWin September 2024. “For two women to be part of that and trying to get to the heart of the story, which is a young woman finding her way, I couldn’t think of a better duo than Barlow and Bear. To use some of Lin’s words, they’re young, scrappy, and hungry.”

Even though Miranda’s musical touch isn’t felt inMoana 2, he will lead the score for another upcoming Disney movie. The award-winning songwriter created original tracks forMufasa: The Lion King, an animated prequel to the 2019 adaption ofThe Lion Kingthat is set to release in theatres on Dec. 20.

So, why didn’tLin-Manuel Mirandawrite the music forMoana 2? Here’s everything to know about the new composers behind the film’s sequel and Miranda’s future with the franchise.

Who wrote the music forMoana?

Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda with actors Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson attend The World Premiere of Disney’s “Moana” at the El Capitan Theatre on Monday, November 14, 2016 in Hollywood, CA.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Miranda co-wrote the music for the 2016Moanafilm alongside Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i. The score was nominated for multiple awards, including an Oscar, and his original track “How Far I’ll Go” won a Grammy for best song written for visual media.

Miranda told PEOPLE in 2017 that the day he learned he landed the gig forMoanawas also momentous for another reason.

“I got the job the same day I found out I was going tobecome a father,” Miranda said. “That very much has colored my writing experience. Just thinking of, ‘My kid is going to see these. My kid is going to sing these songs.’ I think that was always a part of my mind.”

Who wrote the music forMoana 2?

Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear attend an evening with Barlow & Bear celebrating the Music of “Moana 2” at Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill on December 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Barlow and Bear co-wrote the music for the 2024 sequelMoana 2,along with Mancina and Foa‘i. The duo famously collaborated onThe Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album, which went viral and earned them a Grammy award for best musical theater album in 2022.

For their role onMoana 2, Barlow toldVarietyin December 2024 that Miranda was always just 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,” the singer-songwriter said. “He was like, ‘Don’t be afraid to lean into the things you like to listen to,’ and that was really helpful.”

The composers are the youngest and first female duo to create a full soundtrack for a Disney animated film. TheMoana 2albumwas released in November 2024, and two of the songs, “Beyond” and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo,” are being submitted for Academy Award consideration, perThe Hollywood Reporter.

Why didn’t Lin-Manuel Miranda write the music forMoana 2?

‘Moana 2’.Disney

Disney

Miranda told PEOPLE in December 2024 that he wasn’t asked to do the music forMoana 2.

Fans of Miranda’s musical genius won’t have to wait long to hear more of his songs as he wrote the soundtrack for Disney’s upcoming animated prequelMufasa: The Lion King.

During a December 2024 appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Miranda said that he felt pressure to write songs that live up to the originalLion Kingscore, which he described as “all bangers, no skips.” He also talked about the differences in writing for this animated film compared to the ones he’s done in the past.

“All of the Disney characters I’ve written for have been very like empowered heroines who don’t need a man, but I got to write like a ballad,” Miranda said. “I remember reading online someone saying, ‘Lin doesn’t write villain songs.’ LikeMichael Jordan, I took that personally. I wrote a villain song andMads Mikkelsonsings it because he’s the big villain in the movie, and he’s terrifying.”

Mufasa: The Lion Kingpremieres in theatres on Dec. 20, and starsDonald Glover,Seth Rogen,Billy Eichner,Beyoncéand her daughter,Blue Ivy Carter.

Who is in theMoana 2cast?

Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson attend the “Moana 2” UK Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on November 24, 2024 in London, England.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Cravalho andDwayne “The Rock” Johnsonreprise their lead roles inMoana 2. Rachel House also returns as the voice of Gramma Tala andNicole Scherzingeronce again plays Moana’s mother, Sina.

Moana 2also stars some new faces, including Hualālai Chung as tapestry and history expert Moni, Rose Matafeo as ship-building specialist Lato and David Fane as a farmer named Kele.

What isMoana 2about?

Set three years after the original story,Moana 2follows Moana and Maui, who are reunited once again after she receives an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors. Together — along with a crew of unlikely seafarers — they journey across Oceania to find a long-lost island and break a curse.

Bear toldVarietythat the song “Beyond” shows how the stakes are much higher for Moana the second time she’s called to leave her home.

“It’s breaking her in half to think they have a world worse than ever,” she said. “I think we also wanted to highlight the vulnerability because Moana is very strong and brave and powerful, and all the things we know and love her to be, but she’s also human.”

Is Lin-Manuel Miranda involved in theMoanalive-action movie?

Catherine Laga’aia as Moana.Alexei Hay; Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock

Alexei Hay; Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock

In 2023, Johnson announceda live-action adaptation ofMoanawas in the works and that he would once again reprise his role as Maui. NewcomerCatherine Laga’aiawill star as Moana, while Cravalho isproducing the filmalongside Miranda.

“Lin Manuel Miranda’s coming back,” Johnson confirmed toEntertainment Tonightin February 2024. “We’re doing the music. Tommy Kail is our director, who directed Hamilton. You put everybody together and you want to put the best team together and then you really go for it.”

The movie started filming in Hawaii in 2024 and is expected to be released in theatres on July 10, 2026.

source: people.com