From the film's dramatic action sequences, to the intimate dialogue driven or comic relief scenes such as "Battle of Wills," "Climbing," or "Village Crazy Lady," Mancina captures the essence of every musical moment splendidly. The score feels very cohesive matching textures, orchestration, and instrumental pallet. The countless times he exploits themes and song melodies throughout the score is truly impressive. The score is another great representation of Mark Mancina's compositional craft. Although the song relays expositional material well, the melody and abrupt shift in musical texture/genre causes the song to feel detached and unrelated to the other songs in the film. Sadly, "Shiny" does not sparkle as brightly as its name. These two songs demonstrate Miranda's diverse style in rhythm, as well as his unique and cleverly complex lyrics. "You're Welcome" and "Shiny" are the two songs which clearly inform the audience that Lin-Manuel Miranda was a co-writer. With the recitative-like verses and the fused beauty and power of the chorus, "How Far I'll Go" provides the perfect song for Moana, describing her and who she yearns to become. These songs are strengthened by their rich substance of polyphonic percussion rhythms and vocals relating to the Polynesian culture.Īnother very classic Disney song is "How Far I'll Go," blending both old and new musical techniques. These two in particular use their lyrics in conversation with the images on screen, very similar to "Prince Ali" from Aladdin. "Where You Are," "We Know The Way," and "Logo Te Pate" may resemble the classic Disney chorus songs best. Relating the music back to innocence reflects the progress and growth along her journey. This beautiful callback emphasizes Moana's rite of passage. The audience later hears the melody from "An Innocent Warrior" in its reprise "Know Who You Are". "Tulou Tagaloa" and "An Innocent Warrior" are the first two songs we hear, providing a clear basis for the style of the film. The songs in Moana create a musical tapestry of the film's individual style, cultural influence, and classic Disney traditions. The film features music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i, and Mark Mancina, with Mancina also composing the score. The soundtrack for Moana captures the essence of Polynesian culture perfectly without making it too apparent or lack thereof. Along her journey she must first find the legendary, shape shifting demigod, Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and his magical fishhook. Under the direction of Ron Clements and John Musker, the film follows Moana (Auli'i Cravalho), the hardheaded daughter of the chief of their Polynesian tribe, as she is chosen by the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti. "Make way" for the soundtrack of Moana! In this wonderfully constructed animated film, Disney once again demonstrates its great ability of storytelling, making Moana its 56th Disney animated feature film.