Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songwriter who wrote various soundtracks for iconic animated films like Moana, Vivo, and Encanto, has penned a new original song for Disney’s upcoming live-action Moana movie, one that will feature both the live-action and animated actresses.
As reported by Variety, the song is titled “Along the Way” and will feature the singing talents of Catherine Laga‘aia, who portrays the titular protagonist of the upcoming film alongside OG Moana voice actress Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, who plays the demigod Maui in both the film’s animated and live-action renditions.
“It was such a joy to drop back into the world of Moana again and write ‘Along The Way,’” said Miranda in a statement. “Auliʻi and Catherine’s voices blend so beautifully, and writing for Dwayne as Maui is just pure fun. I’m grateful that we were able to create something special for this brand-new version of our wayfinder’s story.”
Laga‘aia added that the song was “the perfect symbolism for this movie. Dwaye and Auli’i sing about finding me along the way, and our journey’s colliding.” Auli’i is also a producer on the upcoming live-action film, so the idea of the original animated voice actress having a musical conversation with Laga‘aia’s version of the character formed the foundation of the song’s idea.
Apart from the film’s original soundtrack, an album inspired by Moana and the music of the Pacific titled Moana: Voices Across The Ocean will also be released digitally, and features 15 tracks from Pacific artists representing seven islands and cultures, including Stan Walker, Dinah Jane, Iam Tongi, Paula Fuga, Maoli and Common Kings.
Disney’s live-action reimaging of Moana will hit theatres on 10 July 2026, with Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, who wrote the script for both animated films, returning for the live-action adaptation as co-screenwriters, and Thomas Kail (Hamilton) serving as its director.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
