LOS ANGELES — What could top hearing Moana perform a new song from Lin-Manuel Miranda?
The answer: two Moanas — with a demigod joining in.
Walt Disney Studios has released a new featurette offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at an original song, “Along the Way.”
The track, written by Miranda, begins as a musical exchange between Catherine Laga’aia, who stars in the upcoming live-action film, and Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original animated movie. The performance then grows into a trio when Dwayne Johnson adds his voice.
Johnson, who reprises his role as Maui and is also producing the film, said the creative team knew early on that the live-action adaptation needed to expand its musical world.
“One of the most exciting things about ‘Moana’ is the music,” Johnson said. “For live-action ‘Moana,’ we all agreed Lin-Manuel Miranda should write one more song.”
That idea took shape in a fresh way when the team landed on bringing both versions of Moana together in the same number.
“We thought, what if both Moanas sang?” director Thomas Kail said.
According to Miranda, Cravalho’s involvement sparked the concept for the new track. “We thought, what if there’s a musical conversation between Auli’i’s Moana and Katie’s Moana,” Miranda said. “That became the idea for the song, ‘Along the Way.'”
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“Getting to sing a new song that Lin-Manuel Miranda has written is the most insane experience,” Laga’aia said, adding that the song represents their intersecting paths. “Dwayne and Auli’i each sing about finding me along the way and our journeys colliding.”
For Cravalho, welcoming Laga’aia to the role has been a highlight of the movie.
“Being able to pass the baton to Catherine is really important for me,” Cravalho said. “So to see her take on the life of this character is such a joy.”
The track ultimately unites all three stars as Johnson’s Maui joins the two leads.
“This song is very special for me because it’s our OG Moana and our live-action Moana together, then it’s your boy Maui coming in,” Johnson said.
For Cravalho, the song shows just how far the story and its culture have come.
“Together we have been on this journey of honoring our culture, of going far beyond the reef,” Cravalho said. “This really is a celebration of just how far we could go.”
“Moana” premieres in theaters July 10.
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