LOS ANGELES — What’s better than one Moana singing a brand-new Lin-Manuel Miranda track?
Two Moanas, plus a demigod, of course.
In a newly released featurette, Walt Disney Studios offers a behind-the-scenes look at a brand-new original song titled “Along the Way.”
Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the track opens as a musical conversation between the new live-action star, Catherine Laga’aia, and the original voice actress, Auli’i Cravalho. It then builds into a trio when Dwayne Johnson joins in.
Johnson, who returns as Maui and serves as a producer on the film, said expanding the live-action music was a priority from day one.
“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.”
The breakthrough moment came when they decided to put both Moanas on the track.
“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.'”
“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.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of this ABC station.
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