Unraveling Miranda's Moana Sequel Choice

Reasons for Not Returning to Moana

Lin-Manuel Miranda, at 44 years old, shared with PEOPLE at the Mufasa: The Lion King premiere on December 9th that participating in Moana 2 wasn't in the cards for him. He had written the music for the original 2016 movie, which featured Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as demigod Maui. However, he clarified that the production already had their songwriters as it was a TV series that transitioned into a movie. The sequel film was announced in February 2024 by Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Despite not being involved in the music of Moana 2, Miranda is proud that composers Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina, Abigail Barlow, and Emily Bear worked on the animated sequel. He also returned to help adapt the film for a live-action remake and worked on Mufasa with Disney.

Composing for Mufasa: A Labor of Love

At the Mufasa premiere, Miranda told PEOPLE that composing the Lion King prequel soundtrack was a labor of love. He praised Barry Jenkins, the Oscar-winning director of Moonlight, and emphasized that when he decided to join Mufasa, he insisted that the original Lion King songwriter Lebo M collaborate with him. Lebo M is known for his unique sound and is the first voice heard in the original movie's opening song. Miranda believed having him on board was crucial.

During his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 3rd, Miranda revealed that he felt pressure writing the soundtrack for Mufasa as he wanted to live up to the original Lion King score, which he described as “all bangers, no skips.” He also discussed the differences in writing for this animated film compared to his previous works.

He mentioned an interesting incident where someone online said “Lin doesn't write villain songs.” Taking it personally, like Michael Jordan, he wrote a villain song and Mads Mikkelsen sings it as the big villain in the movie, and he is truly terrifying.

Voice Cast and Film Synopsis

Alongside Mads Mikkelsen, Mufasa: The Lion King features the voices of Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Thandiwe Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Tiffany Boone, Beyoncé, and her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. An official synopsis for the film reads: “Simba, having become king of the Pride Lands, is determined for his cub to follow in his paw prints while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored.”

Mufasa: The Lion King premieres in theatres on December 20th, while Moana 2 is currently also in theatres. Don't miss out on these exciting cinematic experiences.