Moana 2's songwriters defend soundtrack after backlash to new songs

5 December 2024, 12:40

Moana 2's songwriters respond to backlash over new original songs. Picture: Disney via YouTube, Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

By Katie Louise Smith

"Give it a month, all the kids will be singing it, and you’ll be tired of it."

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Moana 2 has already become an absolutely massive success by securing the highest global box office debut for an animated movie, but fans sadly haven't been loving the sequel's new original songs.

2016's Moana was penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda and spawned the now-legendary Disney bop 'How Far I'll Go' as well as the undeniable earworm 'You're Welcome'. This time around, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear (known for writing the viral The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical) have taken the reins and have now made history as the first female duo of Disney composers.

Moana 2's soundtrack includes the likes of 'Get Lost', 'Can I Get A Chee Hoo?' and 'We're Back', which have all emerged as early favourites but people on social media think they lack the 'Disney magic' that the OG film's songs had.

Now, in a new interview with Variety, Barlow & Bear have addressed the backlash to their original songs – and they're not worried about it at all.

Read more: Moana's Auli'i Cravalho praised for not playing Moana in live-action remake
Read more: When will Moana 2 be on streaming? How to watch Moana 2 online

Moana 2 songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear have responded to the backlash over their new songs. Picture: Getty

Responding to the backlash to the new songs, Barlow said, with a smile: "Give it a month, all the kids will be singing it, and you’ll be tired of it."

Bear then added: "I would say that everyone has an opinion."

"Writing a sequel is really difficult because obviously, you’re never going to be able to recreate the feeling of the first one," she added. "And so, people like what they know, and this is new. So, of course, they’re going to have opinions. And I don’t know…music is subjective."

Watch the Moana 2 trailer

Why didn't Lin-Manuel Miranda return for Moana 2?

There's been no real explanation about why Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't return for Moana 2, but it's likely due to the fact that he's been busy working on the soundtrack for Disney's next big release, Mufasa: The Lion King as well as a concept album inspired by 1979's The Warriors.

Lin has written seven (!) original songs for The Lion King sequel which will be released December 20th.

Speaking with ABC News, Barlow & Bear revealed that they were able to reach out to Lin for advice while working on the film. "He was really, really helpful, especially in the inception when we decided to set sail," Barlow said. "He gave me a bunch of books about true rhymes and about musical theater storytelling."

Bear added: "Yeah, he was a FaceTime call away. We reached out for some advice a few times!"