The songs in Moana 2 aren’t bad per se, but they pale in comparison to the original movie’s iconic soundtrack — and there’s a very simple reason for that. Moana 2 falls short of its predecessor across the board, largely due to the fact that it was hashed together. The Moana sequel was more of a corporate move by Disney than a creative move by the filmmakers. It was originally being developed as a streaming series for Disney+ before returning CEO Bob Iger ordered the animators to collate all the material they had into a feature film.
This decision made sense from a business perspective — a movie is much more profitable than a streaming show — and it paid off handsomely with Moana 2’s $1 billion box office run. But it suffered from a creative standpoint. The first Moana movie is a near-flawless masterpiece with gorgeous animation, airтιԍнт storytelling, and emotional character arcs. By comparison, Moana 2 is a rushed hodgepodge of half-finished TV episodes; it’s a similar drop-off in quality to the old direct-to-DVD Disney sequels. Moana 2’s soundtrack is also a mᴀssive dip in quality 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
The songs in Moana 2 aren’t bad by any means — they’re serviceable musical numbers that help to tell the sequel’s story — but they’re definitely less catchy than the songs in the first movie. This can be attributed to the absence of Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda is responsible for all the catchiest songs in the original film, including “How Far I’ll Go,” which won a Grammy Award and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Instead, Moana 2’s songs were penned by the writing duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.
The reason Miranda wasn’t involved in Moana 2 has to do with its development process. Miranda started working on the soundtrack for Mufasa: The Lion King right after he finished his work on Encanto. By that point, a Moana sequel was already in development as a streaming series, with Barlow and Bear writing the music. When it was retooled as a movie, Barlow and Bear’s songs were already well underway. If the sequel hadn’t been developed as a Disney+ show first, Miranda likely would’ve been involved from the very beginning, and someone else might’ve done the music for Mufasa.
Miranda is really great at writing earworms — often somewhat simple but incredibly effective — and the songs in Moana 2, for the most part, don’t achieve that.
Barlow and Bear’s Moana 2 songs are fine, and they did an admirable job of reinventing Moana’s sound rather than just rehashing what worked on the original film’s soundtrack. But the sequel’s soundtrack is missing that Miranda magic. Miranda is really great at writing earworms — often somewhat simple but incredibly effective — and the songs in Moana 2, for the most part, don’t achieve that. If Miranda had been involved in Moana 2, then the soundtrack would’ve been guaranteed to include at least one or two songs 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 of Moana 2 was always going to have a tough time living up to the first movie. Most of the songs in the first film are at least very good; none of them slow the movie down or stand out on a rewatch. But a couple of them are bona fide masterpieces that belong in Disney’s hall of fame.
Disney submitted “Beyond” and “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?” for Best Original Song at the 2025 Oscars, but neither were nominated.
“How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” both deserve to be in the discussion of the all-time greatest songs from Disney’s animated films. “You’re Welcome” is as infectiously catchy as “Be Our Guest” and “The Bare Necessities,” while “How Far I’ll Go” is just as moving and powerful as “Circle of Life” and “A Whole New World.” Coming up with new songs for Moana 2 was always going to be a daunting task.
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 in Moana 2 are quite as great as “How Far I’ll Go,” a couple of them come close. “Get Lost” has the most mainstream appeal, but it’s not particularly emotional. In “Mana Vavau,” Dwayne Johnson deftly conveys Maui’s fear and desperation as he finds a lifeless Moana. But arguably the best song in Moana 2 is “Beyond.” In many ways, it’s the sequel’s follow-up to “How Far I’ll Go,” with Moana once again questioning how far she can go — this time, knowing she has a little sister to worry about.
