After Moana 2, We All Owe Lin-Manuel Miranda an Apology

As someone who grew up enamored with Disney movies, I have to say that Lin-Manuel Miranda is nothing short of magical when it comes to crafting songs for these beloved films. His ability to breathe new life into classic Disney tropes while still remaining faithful to their roots is truly a testament to his immense talent.

It’s fortunate for parents of young children that there aren’t any catchy songs in “Moana 2” that kids will be humming as they leave the theater or playing on loop in the coming months. For a song to stick, it needs to be memorable, but every number in this new Disney sequel feels insubstantial and disposable, just like those before. This is disappointing enough, but it follows the near-universally adored “Moana” from 2016 and its score, which are considered the peak of the modern Disney era. As such, this film represents a significant step down, if not an outright letdown.

The sequel to “Moana” isn’t a total catastrophe, but rather feels more like an unnecessary money-grab that struggles to hide its origins as a Disney+ series. It manages to surpass the dismal benchmark set by 2023’s flop, “Wish,” a film critically panned and financially unsuccessful, heavily marketed as a grand celebration of Disney’s centennial anniversary. However, the music in “Moana 2” is its major downfall, with repetitive tunes and awkward lyrics that often halt the action. When the songs occasionally incorporate a line or motif from the original “Moana” soundtrack, it has the impact of a single drop of water in the desert, reminding us just how far we’ve strayed from the original’s quality.

It’s no easy task to surpass the original “Moana”, as its soundtrack, featuring the Oscar-nominated song “How Far I’ll Go”, played a significant role in establishing Moana as a beloved Disney character. The music’s success was largely due to composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, who collaborated with Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i on the songs. Together, they crafted a sound rooted in Polynesian culture, with Miranda’s infectious melodies making each song impossible to forget. However, it’s not just the tunes that make an impact – Miranda’s clever lyrics add depth to the characters and drive the story forward. Although all artists involved in creating Moana’s unforgettable score have made significant contributions, the unique influence of Lin-Manuel Miranda cannot be underestimated.

In 2016, the composer’s work on a film received much acclaim, including an Oscar nomination (which went to “City of Stars” from La La Land, a song many believe was not the best in the movie), marking his rising star. The following year, Hamilton, a Broadway hit, debuted, earning Miranda numerous Tonys, a Grammy, and a Pulitzer, making him a household name. However, as is common with great success, Miranda encountered backlash. In 2020, Rolling Stone published an article titled “Why Gen Z Turned on Lin-Manuel Miranda,” while in 2021, BuzzFeed News delved into “How Lin-Manuel Miranda Went From Cool to Corny.” Critics often overlook the fact that despite being labeled as cringeworthy (which is not a crime!), Miranda is also an incredibly talented artist. The lackluster reception of Moana 2 serves as a reminder not to underestimate him.

Beyond just being about Moana, it’s worth noting that Miranda’s music has become a crucial ingredient in the success of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ releases over the past decade. Excluding the exceptional nonmusical productions like Zootopia and Big Hero 6, many of the musical animated films have failed to recapture the magic of Disney’s ’90s renaissance period without Miranda’s guidance. For instance, Frozen II was a massive box-office hit, but its story lacked coherence, and none of its songs reached the cultural impact of “Let It Go.” Wish was a puzzling blend of various Disney properties that quickly disappeared from the scene. And while Moana 2 is likely to dominate the box office, it’s the kind of predictable sequel Disney once released straight to VHS.

Meanwhile, Miranda provided us with the soundtrack for the 2021 film “Encanto”, which stands alongside “Moana” as one of Disney’s top soundtracks from the last decade. At first, the movie didn’t perform well at the box office, but positive word of mouth and catchy tunes led to significant success on streaming platforms and a return to cinemas. In fact, the music of “Encanto” is even more powerful than that of “Moana”. While “Dos Oruguitas” received an Oscar nomination, it was “Surface Pressure” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” that gained widespread popularity as breakout hits – with the latter becoming Disney’s longest-running number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in studio history. It seems “Let It Go” has some serious competition now.

In the upcoming movie “Moana 2”, the songs are not expected to match the popularity of those in “Frozen” or “Encanto”. Instead, the songwriting team for this sequel is Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, known for their TikTok series turned album, “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical”. While their songs from “Bridgerton” went viral and even won a Grammy (the first awarded to music developed on TikTok), the songs for “Moana 2” are not likely to gain them new fans. Even with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancina returning, the soundtrack seems to be striving for something it can’t quite reach. The “I want” song in “Moana 2”, sung by our hero as she embarks on her journey, could be seen as a spiritual sequel to “Moana’s” “How Far I’ll Go”, but that might be overly generous; it feels more like a repetition without the original’s charm.

Comparing these two numbers offers a clear distillation of what Miranda brought to Moana and what Barlow and Bear lack. In Moana, the “I want” song tells us everything we need to know about the title character, her preoccupations, and her ultimate destiny. “I wish I could be the perfect daughter / But I come back to the water no matter how hard I try” is classic Disney — the theme of personal desire clashing with parental expectations can be found in The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World,” Mulan’s “Reflection,” and Aladdin’s cut “I want” song, “Proud of Your Boy.” At the same time, “How Far I’ll Go” is unique enough to make Moana stand out in the long line of Disney protagonists, few of whom could tackle a tongue-twister like “If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me.”

In contrast to the profound meaning conveyed by Moana’s “I want” song in the first movie, the sequel’s version seems to rely heavily on our prior knowledge of the character and hints at something grander than the original film. Instead of questioning how far Moana will go, the sequel explores if she can venture even farther. While the new lyrics echo Miranda’s in a way that “Beyond” sounds recognizable, this similarity only serves to highlight the limitations of Barlow and Bear’s songwriting abilities. Phrases like “I know the path that must be chosen / But this is bigger than before” and “There is destiny in motion / And it’s only just begun” are less poetic and less captivating compared to Miranda’s lyrics, which read: “Every turn I take, every trail I track / Every path I make, every road leads back / To the place I know where I cannot go / Where I long to be.” The new composers seem to grasp the purpose of an “I want” song but lack the skill to create one that resonates.

Achieving those pivotal musical scenes accurately is vital. The concept of “I want” songs isn’t exclusive to Disney; they form the core of storytelling in musical theater. During Disney’s renaissance period, these songs became a defining aspect of their brand, thanks to composers like Alan Menken and lyricists such as Howard Ashman who brought their Broadway experience to films like “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Lin-Manuel Miranda draws inspiration from this history, stating in a 2016 interview with Vulture, “I’m a big fan of Howard Ashman, especially his work for Disney, because he infused Disney characters with a realism through his lyrics that I don’t think has always been there.” This authenticity and keen character insight is what sets Miranda’s Disney music apart: it takes a rare talent to get right. The nuanced depth of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” will consistently outshine the hollow phrases of “Moana 2,” as exemplified by the lyric, “Moana, come on-a, unlock your destiny.

In a more relaxed phrasing, it could be said: Miranda, just like any other creator, is not infallible. His contributions to the live-action Disney films, which are challenging due to the high expectations of enhancing already iconic movies, have had some stumbles, such as “The Scuttlebutt” number by Awkwafina as a CGI gannet. However, he has achieved something remarkable that few others in recent times have managed. Lin-Manuel Miranda has proven himself a worthy successor to the legacy of Menken and Ashman, who recognized that Disney magic lies in treating these films as musicals. While Disney may experiment with trendy composers like Barlow and Bear, the disappointing scores for Moana 2 and Wish demonstrate the risk of hiring songwriters who grasp the sound but lack a deep understanding of the content. Despite Moana 2’s potential to break box-office records, shallow scores threaten the Disney musical brand with a potential decline. It’s high time we set aside any reservations about Miranda and let him help steer this ship back on course.

2024-11-28 17:54

After Moana 2, We All Owe Lin-Manuel Miranda an Apology

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