Disney Submitting Two Songs From Upcoming “Moana 2” For Oscar Consideration

While one, both, or neither may end up for actual nominations, the studio is getting ahead now with the movie due out on Thanksgiving weekend.

A new report from The Hollywood Reporter is lending a bit of insight into what songs will surely become Disney classics from the upcoming Moana 2, revealing the titles that Disney is putting up for Oscar consideration.

What’s Happening:

  • Walt Disney Animation Studio’s upcoming Moana 2 has high expectations already, but those are climbing higher for two of the songs in the new film.
  • According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has submitted two songs for Oscar consideration well ahead of the film’s release this Thanksgiving.
  • The songs put up for consideration are this film’s ‘I Want’ song, called “Beyond” and performed by Auli’i Cravalho (Moana) and Rachel House (Gramma Tala).
  • The other, supposedly channeling the same spirit as “You’re Welcome” from the original Moana, Dwayne Johnson’s “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?”
  • Both songs feature music and lyrics by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who did all of the songs for the highly-anticipated sequel.
  • “Beyond” also features Pacific choral vocals arranged by Opetaia Foa’i, who contributed to the soundtrack of the original Moana, and is most closely correlated to the sequel’s equivalent of “How Far I’ll Go” which itself was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to “City of Stars” from La La Land.
  • Movie fans and critics are pointing out that this is the first time in a number of years that Disney has submitted more than one song for a single film.
  • The studio has been walking a fine line since Enchanted, which marked the debut of what is referred to as “The Menken Rule” at the Oscars – a policy that dictates that no more than three songs from any one film may be submitted, and no more than two songs from any one film by the exact same songwriters may be shortlisted, and no more than two songs from any film, regardless of writers, may be nominated.
  • This came after years of submissions and wins from Disney, dating back to The Little Mermaid, who had numerous submissions and nominations for their songs up to and including Enchanted, all of which featured music by….Alan Menken.
  • Some believe that the submission of the two songs for Moana 2, long before the movie is released to the public, comes as a result of a low-key controversy surrounding Encanto, when the studio submitted “Dos Origuitas” for Oscar contention, and earning the nomination but lost to Billie Eilish’s “No Time to Die” from the James Bond movie of the same name. Many think that had Disney submitted the cultural phenomenon, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the film, the popular song would have won the award.
  • As for Moana 2, it’s possible that similar to Barbie last year, both songs submitted could end up being nominations for this season’s Oscars, but only time will tell.
  • Moana 2 arrives in theaters everywhere on November 27th.

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.