Lin-Manuel Miranda may not be back for Moana 2, but he remains close to Disney's aquatic franchise in some exciting ways.
Disney struck gold with Moana, and its soundtrack became an instant sensation. This was largely thanks to Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote most of the original songs, such as "You're Welcome" and "I Am Moana."
Who Wrote the Songs for Moana 2?
As Moana 2 comes to theaters, moviegoers wonder if Lin-Manuel Miranda was once again behind the latest original songs.
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. Miranda did not return for Moana 2 and passed off songwriting duties to Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who went viral on TikTok after writing The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.
Speaking with ABC News, Barlow praised how Miranda was "really, really helpful" and gifted her several books to help in the process:
"He was really, really helpful, especially in the inception when we decided to set sail. He gave me a bunch of books about true rhymes and about musical theater storytelling."
Bear interjected to note how "he was a FaceTime call away" while they were working on Moana 2 and offered his wisdom to help:
"Yeah, he was a FaceTime call away. We reached out for some advice a few times!"
Why Lin-Manuel Miranda Didn't Work on Moana 2
While it remains unconfirmed why Miranda opted out of Moana 2, that may have come down to his role in writing the original songs for Mufasa: The Lion King. As the live-action Lion King prequel releases on December 20, under a month after Moana 2, he may have been too busy to contribute to both Disney movies.
Additionally, what would become Moana 2 started life as Moana: The Series, a Disney+ follow-up to the original movie. Those plans were changed to February 2024 to shift course to a theatrical sequel (as explained by Disney CEO Bob Iger).
Perhaps Miranda was less eager to participate in a Disney+ series than he would be in a theatrical movie because he is still attached to Moana's future.
Read more on everything we know about the live-action Moana remake.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Maui actor Dwayne Johnson confirmed Miranda is "coming back" to work on the live-action adaptation of Moana:
"Lin-Manuel Miranda's coming back. We're doing the music. Tommy Kail is our director, who directed Hamilton. You put everybody together and you want to put the best team together and then you really go for it."
As such, while Miranda may not have worked on Moana 2, he will be back in the franchise in July 2026 for the live-action adaptation. Perhaps that could clear the path for him to return for Moana 3, should it ever come to pass.
Moana 2 is playing in theaters, and The Direct has a .
