Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator behind the original 2016 movie’s music, has revealed that he wasn’t involved in Moana 2 due to a lack of opportunities. The Tony-winning composer, who wrote the Oscar-nominated music for Moana, said “there was never an opportunity” to participate in the sequel.
Miranda explained that the production team already had their songwriters before he even considered it. He expressed pride for Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina, Abigail Barlow, and Emily Bear, who worked on the animated sequel.
Although Miranda won’t be contributing his music to Moana 2, he did return to help with a live-action remake of Mufasa: The Lion King. He praised Barry Jenkins’ genius as director and insisted that original songwriter Lebo M collaborate with him for the film’s soundtrack.
Miranda shared that writing the Mufasa soundtrack was a “labor of love,” inspired by Lebo M, who he considers the “secret sound” of The Lion King. When asked about pressures while working on the soundtrack, Miranda revealed that he wanted to live up to the original score and wrote villain songs, including one featuring Mads Mikkelsen.
Mufasa: The Lion King premieres in theatres on December 20, with Moana 2 currently in release.
Source: https://people.com/lin-manuel-miranda-explains-why-he-didnt-write-songs-for-moana-2-exclusive-8759361