Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson both returned to voice their iconic characters, but to any eagle-eyed viewers, there was a notable name missing from the credits.
“There was never an opportunity to be on Moana 2,” Lin-Manuel said. Explaining that this was due to the movie’s production process, he added that the film “already had their songwriters.”
“It didn’t line up that way,” he said. “Moana 2 was already in process as a TV series, with Emily [Bear] and Abigail [Barlow]. So when that decision got made to turn [it] into a movie, they were already, you know. Already cookin’.”
While Moana 2 has had unquestionable success at the box office, some viewers online have had divided opinions — with the sequel only receiving 61% on Rotten Tomatoes as opposed to the 2016 original’s 95%.
And in an interview with Variety, Abigail of Barlow and Bear responded to some of the criticism of the music, saying, “Give it a month, all the kids will be singing it, and you’ll be tired of it.”
Her response sparked a LOT of discourse amongst viewers. Many were quick to suggest that this mentality was the reason why the sequel’s music may not have lived up to the original songs.
And while speaking to People, Lin-Manuel himself said that he was “really proud” that the duo were working on the sequel alongside composers Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina.
You can catch Moana 2 in cinemas nationwide now. If you’ve seen it, LMK your thoughts in the comments.