Miranda Wrote New 'Moana' Song in a Week for Kail's Directorial Debut
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- Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote 'Along the Way' in about a week after director Tommy Kail pitched the idea of original Moana voice Auli'i Cravalho appearing in the film as a 'passing of the torch' to new lead Catherine Laga'aia
- Tommy Kail makes his feature film directorial debut on live-action 'Moana'; he first worked on the franchise in 2017 when he helped stage Miranda's Oscar-ceremony intro for Auli'i to sing 'How Far I'll Go'
- The melody of 'Along the Way' is actually woven into the body of the live-action film during Maui's sailing-training scene, translated into Tokelauan and reorchestrated by Opetaia Foa'i before surfacing in English during the closing credits
- Miranda recorded demos of the new song with Hamilton collaborators Phillipa Soo, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Christopher Jackson — Soo, he said, was his 'first Moana' on all the original demos a decade ago
- The animated 'Moana' has grossed more than $643 million globally and the 2024 sequel earned over $1 billion, while live-action 'Moana' stars Dwayne Johnson as Maui and newcomer Catherine Laga'aia in the title role
- Miranda addressed potential Oscar consideration for 'Along the Way' in a competitive year that includes Taylor Swift, Travis Scott, and Lady Gaga, telling Variety he doesn't pay attention to awards races and only notices at year's end
- Miranda finished filming his next project, the a cappella musical 'Octet,' on June 12 and is now in editing with Jonah Moran
Why it matters: Miranda's return for a single new song — rather than a full soundtrack — shows how the live-action 'Moana' leans on his franchise credibility to bridge a new lead actress to the role, with the song functioning as both a plot beat and a handoff from Cravalho's original Moana. The Tokelauan placement gives Opetaia Foa'i outsized influence over whether the film feels culturally authentic, and any awards traction for 'Along the Way' would land in a crowded song field featuring Taylor Swift.
