**Moana 2~ Why Lin-Manuel Miranda Didn't Write Songs for Sequel

Lin-Manuel Miranda may not be back for Moana 2, but he remains close to Disney's aquatic franchise in some exciting ways.

Disney struck gold with Moana, and its soundtrack became an instant sensation. This was largely thanks to Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote most of the original songs, such as "You're Welcome" and "I Am Moana."

Who Wrote the Songs for Moana 2?
As Moana 2 comes to theaters, moviegoers wonder if Lin-Manuel Miranda was once again behind the latest original songs.

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. Miranda did not return for Moana 2 and passed off songwriting duties to Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who went viral on TikTok after writing The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.

Speaking with ABC News, Barlow praised how Miranda was "really, really helpful" and gifted her several books to help in the process:

"He was really, really helpful, especially in the inception when we decided to set sail. He gave me a bunch of books about true rhymes and about musical theater storytelling."

Bear interjected to note how "he was a FaceTime call away" while they were working on Moana 2 and offered his wisdom to help:

"Yeah, he was a FaceTime call away. We reached out for some advice a few times!"

Why Lin-Manuel Miranda Didn't Work on Moana 2
While it remains unconfirmed why Miranda opted out of Moana 2, that may have come down to his role in writing the original songs for Mufasa: The Lion King. As the live-action Lion King prequel releases on December 20, under a month after Moana 2, he may have been too busy to contribute to both Disney movies.