Moana 2

The songs inMoana 2aren’t spoilt per se , but they pale in comparison to the original movie ’s iconic soundtrack — and there ’s a very simple reason for that . Moana 2falls curt of its predecessoracross the instrument panel , largely due to the fact that it was hash together . TheMoanasequel wasmore of a corporal move by Disney than a creative move by the filmmakers . It was originally being developed as a stream series for Disney+ before return CEO Bob Iger grade the animators to collate all the stuff they had into a feature film .

This determination made sense from a business enterprise linear perspective — a motion picture is much more profitable than a cyclosis show — and it paid off handsomely withMoana 2 ’s $ 1 billion box office run . But it suffered from a originative stand . The firstMoanamovie is a near - flawless masterpiece with gorgeous animation , airtight storytelling , and emotional character arcs . By comparability , Moana 2is a rush hodgepodge of half - finished television set episodes ; it ’s a similar drop - off in quality to the old direct - to - DVD Disney sequels . Moana 2 ’s soundtrackis also a monolithic dip in calibre from the original , and it ’s all thanks to one man ’s absence .

Moana 2’s Soundtrack Is Missing Lin-Manuel Miranda

Miranda Didn’t Come Back For The Sequel

Thesongs inMoana 2aren’t bad by any means — they ’re serviceable musical number that help to tell the sequel ’s story — but they ’re definitely less tricky than the birdsong in the first pic . This can be attributed to the absence of Lin - Manuel Miranda . Miranda is creditworthy for all the catchiest song in the original film , include “ How Far I ’ll Go , ” which advance a Grammy Award and was put up for an Oscar and a Golden Globe . alternatively , Moana 2 ’s song were penned by the writing duette Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear .

Moana 2 ’s best moment will make you laugh and cry as they masterfully ring resonant themes , advance character reference arcs , and expatiate the franchise .

The reason Miranda was n’t involved inMoana 2has to do with its development process . Miranda set forth work on the soundtrack forMufasa : The Lion Kingright after he finish his workplace onEncanto . By that point , aMoanasequel was already in development as a swarm series , with Barlow and Bear writing the music . When it was retool as a movie , Barlow and Bear ’s song were already well afoot . If the continuation had n’t been germinate as a Disney+ show first , Miranda likely would ’ve been involved from the very root , and someone else might ’ve done the music forMufasa .

Moana 2 (2024) official poster

Miranda is really neat at write earworms — often fairly simple but incredibly effective — and the songs in Moana 2 , for the most part , do n’t achieve that .

Barlow and Bear’sMoana 2songs are all right , and they did an admirable job of reinventingMoana ’s auditory sensation rather than just retrograde what worked on the original pic ’s soundtrack . Butthe sequel ’s soundtrack is missing that Miranda magic . Miranda is really great at writing earworms — often slightly bare but fantastically effective — and the songs inMoana 2 , for the most part , do n’t achieve that . If Miranda had been call for inMoana 2 , then the soundtrack would ’ve been guaranteed to include at least one or two birdsong that kids across the world would be singing right now .

Moana 2’s Songs Were Always Going To Struggle To Match The First Movie

The First Movie’s Songs Are Among Disney’s Best

The soundtrack ofMoana 2was always going to have a baffling sentence living up to the first picture . Most of the songs in the first film are at least very good ; none of them slacken the movie down or suffer out on a rewatch . But a couple of them are bona fide masterpieces that belong in Disney ’s hall of fame .

Disney accede " Beyond " and " Can I Get A Chee Hoo ? " for Best Original Song at the 2025 Oscars , but neither were nominate .

“ How Far I ’ll Go ” and “ You ’re Welcome ” both deserve to be in the word of the all - clip big songs from Disney ’s repair film . “ You ’re Welcome ” is as contagiously catchy as “ Be Our Edgar Guest ” and “ The Bare Necessities , ” while“How Far I ’ll Go ” is just as moving and potent as “ Circle of Life ” and “ A Whole New World . ”Coming up with new songs forMoana 2was always going to be a daunting task .

Imagery-from-Moana-2

Custom Image by Yeider Chacon

What’s The Best Song In Moana 2?

“Beyond” Is Moana 2’s Answer To “How Far I’ll Go”

While none of the songs inMoana 2are quite as great as “ How Far I ’ll Go , ” a twosome of them derive airless . “ Get Lost ” has the most mainstream appeal , but it ’s not particularly emotional . In “ Mana Vavau , ” Dwayne Johnson deftly channel Maui ’s fear and desperation as he find a exanimate Moana . But arguably the better song inMoana 2is “ Beyond . ” In many style , it ’s the continuation ’s follow - up to “ How Far I ’ll Go , ” with Moana once again question how far she can go — this prison term , have sex she has a little babe to worry about .

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Cast

Lin-Manuel Miranda with his fingers arched together in Curb Your Enthusiasm

Kotu and Moana imagery from Moana 2.

Moana singing Beyond on a mountaintop in Moana 2

Headshot Of Auli’i Cravalho In The 33rd Annual EMA Awards Gala

Headshot Of Dwayne Johnson In The Red Notice Premiere

Movies

Moana 2