The hit 2016 animated film Moana garnered a substantial amount of respect and admiration last year from fans and critics alike. It was another instant Disney classic, infused with the voice talents of stars such as Dwayne Johnson and Nicole Scherzinger. It has received two Academy Award nominations since its release, one being for Best Original Song, “How Far I’ll Go” – a ditty that was written and produced by none other than Hamilton breakout star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Miranda co-wrote most of the songs in the film alongside Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina, and has contributed musically to many films before – including 2015’s long-awaited Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, Miranda is best known for his critically-acclaimed Broadway musical, Hamilton, which achieved great success and worldwide fame shortly after its debut. Miranda wasted no time in putting the talents of his Hamilton cast to good use when producing the Moana soundtrack, calling up actors Phillipa Soo (the first Eliza Schuyler) and Christopher Jackson (also of the original cast, as George Washington) to record a version of a tune for the film. Miranda wrote a song called “Warrior Face” that never made it into the final cut of the film, but did find its way onto the Blu-ray and DVD release. Soo fills in as the titular character Moana, while Jackson briefly portrays Maui in a storyboard animation of the scene.
EW showed a clip in which Miranda introduces the jaunty number in a DVD extra, explaining the idea behind “Warrior Face” and its production. Check out the video below:
Moana will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on March 7th.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
