Who wrote the songs for Moana 2? Details explored

Moana 2 is an animated musical adventure comedy movie, which is the second installment of the 2016 movie Moana, both produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The movie is collaboratively directed by Jason Hand, David Derrick Jr., and Dana Ledoux Miller.

Christina Chen and Yvett Merino serve as the producers of the movie. Miller has jointly written the screenplay with Dana Ledouc Miller, based on a story they collaborated on with Bek Smith.

The Story of Moana 2 begins three years after the initial movie, where Moana gets an unexpected vision from her ancestor, Tautai Vasa, who tells her the secret about a mystical island called Motufetu, which was sunk underwater.

She embarks on another journey to the seas of Oceania, with a grave lurking around, as the fate of her island is connected to it.

The soundtrack of Moana 2 is primarily composed by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the Grammy-winning duo who are together known as Barlow & Bear. The two were responsible for composing the concept album titled "The Unofficial Bridgeton Musical" based on Netflix's Bridgeton season 1.

Composers Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina from the initial movie also reprised their roles in contributing to the soundtrack.

The soundtrack of Moana 2

Just like the initial movie, the soundtrack of Moana 2 has a blend of the traditional cultures of the South Pacific Islands with a touch of modern pop. Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear were primarily responsible for writing the songs, while Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina composed the original music of the movie.

The complete set of songs in Moana 2 is listed as follows:

“Tulou Tagaloa (Sei e Va’ai Mai)” by Olivia Foa’i, Te Vaka
“We’re Back” by Auli’i Cravalho, Villagers of Motonui
“Tuputupu (The Feast)” by Te Vaka
“Beyond” by Auli’i Cravalho, Rachel House
“My Wish for You (Innocent Warrior)” by Olivia Foa’i, Sulata Foai-Amiatu, Matatia Foai, Matthew Ineleo, Opetaia Foa’i
“Finding the Way” by Olivia Foa’i, Te Vaka
“What Could Be Better Than This?” by Auli’i Cravalho, Hualalai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane
“Get Lost” by Awhimai Fraser
“Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” by Dwayne Johnson
“Mana Vavau” by Dwayne Johnson, Opetaia Foa’i, Rachel House
“Beyond (Reprise)” by Auli’i Cravalho
“Nuku O Kaiga” by Te Vaka
“Finding the Way (Reprise)” by Te Vaka
“We Know the Way (Te Fenua te Malie)” by Auli’i Cravalho, Olivia Foa’i, Opetaia Foa’i, Te Vaka
“Beyond (End Credit Version)” by Auli’i Cravalho, Te Vaka
“We’re Back (Te Vaka Version)” by Olivia Foa’i, Sulata Foai-Amiatu, Te Vaka

Background on the songwriters of Moana 2

26-year-old Abigail Barlow and 23-year-old Emily Bear, together known as Barlow and Bear, are singer-songwriters who have written the songs for Moana 2.

With this, the duo has made the record of becoming the first female songwriting duo and the youngest duo to compose for a Disney feature film.

The two had earlier composed a concept album for Netflix's Bridgeton titled "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical," which was released on September 10, 2021. The songs immediately became popular on social media platforms, especially on Titok, and quickly climbed the Billboard charts.

According to their official website, the album became the #1 album on the Pop charts and the #5 album on the overall worldwide charts. The album received 10 million streams in two weeks and was in the Top 10 on Spotify album debut.

In 2022, Barlow and Bear won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The album became the first Grammy winner to have been developed on TikTok.

In July 2022, the duo held a life performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. Netflix filed a legal sue against the duo in the U.S. federal court for copyright violation and to prevent later live concerts.

However, it was dropped in September, after the two parties came to a mutual settlement.

Auliʻi Cravalho, the lead actress voicing Moana, along with Dwayne Johnson (voicing Maui) had a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, published on September 12, 2024. Cravalho reflected on the duo's contribution, saying it will become an essential element in Moana's journey. She said:

"I couldn't think of a better duo than Barlow and Bear. ... This is a new part of my voice. ... This film digs into these low notes in these times of indecision when we don't know what we are supposed to do next. There's a lot of deeper layers to these songs."

Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear had a conversation with Women's Wear Daily, published on November 27, 2024. Reflecting on their role in writing and composing the songs for Moana 2, Bear said:

“To us, writing musical theater is all about being able to put yourself in the shoes of someone else and honoring their perspective on the world,” she adds, “And this just made it a lot easier because we could immediately identify with [Moana]. Putting ourselves in her head and trying to understand what she probably felt like at this huge moment in her life, it just flowed."

Moana 2 first made its premiere at the Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute in Kapolei, Hawaii on November 21, 2024. The movie made its theatrical release in the United States on November 27, 2024, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The tickets for Moana 2 are available to buy on the official Disney website.