Lin-Manuel Miranda has written a new original song for the live action Moana, and honestly, this is the detail that makes the whole project click for me. The song is called "Along the Way," and it features Catherine Laga'aia singing alongside Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. That pairing alone tells you this remake understands what it is.
Cravalho, who voiced the original Moana in 2016, is serving as a producer on the remake. She is not just lending her voice for nostalgia. She is actively shaping how this version lands. Director Thomas Kail said he wanted something "distinct to this film," and Miranda saw the opening. What he wrote is essentially a musical conversation between the two versions of the same character. The animated Moana and the live action Moana, singing together. That is a concept that only works if the song actually earns it, and knowing Miranda, it probably does.
Laga'aia is 19 years old, of Samoan descent, and making her feature film debut. That is a massive stage to step onto. The original Moana was a cultural landmark for Pacific Islander representation in animation, and now the live action version is doubling down on that by casting someone who actually comes from the community the story is about. It matters. Representation that starts in animation and carries through to live action with this kind of intentionality is rare.
The soundtrack drops June 26, and the film opens wide on July 10. That is a tight window, but Disney clearly wants the music out there building anticipation before opening weekend. Smart move, especially when your songwriter is the guy who wrote Hamilton.
Miranda has a gift for writing songs that feel like conversations. His best work pulls you into a back and forth that builds emotionally without ever feeling forced. If "Along the Way" delivers on the promise of two Moanas meeting through music, it could be the standout moment of the entire film. Not just a cover, not just a reprise, but something genuinely new that honors what came before.
If your family loved the original Moana, this is the one to see together this summer. The casting feels right, the creative team is deeply connected to the source material, and adding a new Miranda song on top of all that is the kind of bonus you do not take for granted.
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