Disney’s animated fantasy musical, “Moana 2,” has shattered box-office records over the Thanksgiving weekend, raking in $225 million over a five-day timeframe. The film, starring Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, beat previous holiday behemoths such as “Frozen” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
For movie lovers in Alabama, the best part of this blockbuster is that the songs were created by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, a duo from Birmingham. In an Instagram post, Barlow expressed her excitement, saying they worked on the project for two years and wrote all the songs.
Barlow and Bear, who grew up in Birmingham and met while chasing their songwriting dreams in Los Angeles, replaced Lin-Manuel Miranda as songwriters for “Moana 2.” The duo has a history of creating viral content, including an imaginary stage musical based on Netflix’s “Bridgerton” series. They won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for their work.
Barlow & Bear collaborated with Disney composers Mark Mancina and Opetaia FoaŹ»i on the film’s soundtrack. Their songs, such as “Beyond” and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?”, were among the nominees for this year’s Hollywood Music In Media Awards. The duo is now booked for several other projects, including a biopic of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
The success of “Moana 2” marks a significant milestone for Alabama-born songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who have catapulted to fame in the music industry.
Source: https://www.al.com/life/2024/12/heres-the-alabama-connection-to-a-disney-blockbuster-thats-already-raked-in-225m.html