Support NeoGAF

[HStallion]

Well Netflix now has Moana and its been something I've been meaning to watch for a while as much because I love great animation as well as the fact I'm of heavy Polynesian descent and am glad someone finally made a movie with that as a theme. Really great Disney flick that while still wearing its traditions proudly also did a lot of things like dropping a focus on a major villain, no major love interest for Moana, and making it more of a journey than a straight up princess flick. It somehow felt both old school while also feeling refreshing in a lot of ways.

That all said I was blown away by the quality of music through out. Usually Disney musicals have one or two stand out songs for me except for the all time classics like Aladdin and the Lion Kind where nearly every song is not only a great piece of music but really enhances the movie and the scene its in especially. However its been a long time since I've felt this way about a Disney musical and I gotta say, every damn song was great.

From the snarky macho bravado of Maui's "Thank You" to the Jermaine Clement giving us another great tune in "Shiny" and even the song sung by Moana's ancestors in the flashback. Lin Manuel-Miranda should really be applauded for such a god damned great soundtrack as the songs are great on their own but really help high light the themes, give our already lively characters even more character and just made for a great experience.

Oh and who knew the Rock could sing?

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

I've listened to the OST close to a hundred times and half of it is amazing while the rest is mediocre at best.

There's also just not much to it.

Tangled is still the GOAT musical if the last decade of Disney.

 

[The Lamp]

Like anything after the 90s, half the songs are great and the other half are trash.

 

[Ezalc]

I only liked the song shiny from it and thought the rest were pretty meh. Aladdin, Mulan and Hercules remain the best for Disney songs. Tarzan is a close fourth.

 

[number11]

Yep.. unlike Frozen it also doesn't forget it's a musical half way through the film.

 

[maxcriden]

I completely agree. The movie is unbelievably good and the music, especially Where you Are, How Far I'll Go, We Know the Way, and Maui's song as you mentioned, is the highlight.

 

[HStallion]

Like anything after the 90s, half the songs are great and the other half are trash.

I'd agree for most every film Disney has put out up to Moana. I just really enjoyed all the songs and every main one was pretty strong in my opinion. I will say its not the most varied soundtrack out there except Shiny but its consistently good to great.

 

[Durden77]

Shiny fucking owns. Like seriously, maybe my most enjoyable Disney song combined with scene ever. You're Welcome and the scene that goes with it is also fantastic too.

The others are solid, but no Prince Ali or Be Our Guest. My girlfriend loves the "Edge of the waaatter" song so much. So yeah, it's good.

 

[Allonym]

I wholeheartedly agree! I can't think of a single bad or meh song in it.

 

[WorldofMiku]

I'D RATHER BE SHINNNYYY...


But that's the only song that I remember from the film.

 

[The Lamp]

I'D RATHER BE SHINNNYYY...


But that's the only song that I remember from the film.

It is so bad. Abysmal melody and singing.

How Far I'll Go is GOAT and Where You Are though

 

[Imperial Bishop]

In Lin We Trust

I really enjoyed all the songs in this movie.

I'm still surprised the Rock has decent singing chops.

 

[Raxus]

I feel bad people don't remember half the songs from this film they are really great.

I am Moana
We Know the Way
You're Welcome
Shiny
I Know Who You Are

Moana deserves much more love. Give it a few years and more people will gush over it.

 

[Makonero]

Amusingly, Shiny is the one song I don't like. The rest are all fantastic though. Thank You is way too damn catchy.

 

[HStallion]

In Lin We Trust

I really enjoyed all the songs in this movie.

I'm still surprised the Rock has decent singing chops.

Yeah that was another thing that really surprised me. I didn't think the Rock could sing and figured they'd just sub in an actual singer for his song.

 

[Veelk]

From the snarky macho bravado of Maui's "Thank You".

You're welcome.

 

[SpaceWolf]

Speaking as someone who watched that film for the first time like, last week, I wasn't a big fan of the music at all.

You're Welcome was great. Outside of that, the rest of the numbers were pretty mediocre and forgettable.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Incredible movie and music.

 

[Trouble]

Apart from Shiny it seems like every time they sing it's just a variation of the one main song.

 

[elrechazado]

It is so bad. Abysmal melody and singing.

How Far I'll Go is GOAT and Where You Are though

David Bowie is rolling over in his grave

 

[lightskintwin]

Speaking as someone who watched that film for the first time like, last week, I wasn't a big fan of the music at all.

You're Welcome was great. Outside of that, the rest of the numbers were pretty mediocre and forgettable.

Gotta agree with this despite really enjoying Moana. Tangled has a better collection of songs. Yeah, I said it. Hell, I liked the songs in Princess and the Frog better.

 

[Loxley]

I honestly think Shiny is the only weak-link in the entire soundtrack.

"We Know the Way" is my personal favorite.

 

[Makonero]

I honestly think Shiny is the only weak-link in the entire soundtrack.

"We Know the Way" is my personal favorite.

Such a good summer song. Really captures the adventure of the ocean. Now I need to go listen to the soundtrack again.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

I'm really only fond of "You're Welcome" and "Shiny." Out of the entire rest of the soundtrack, the only other lines I remember are the goofiness of "Consider the coconut" and the painful cheesiness of "I am Moana!"

Nothing in there as bad as "Fixer-Upper," though. And the movie as a whole is good stuff.

 

[Jesus Carbomb]

I teared up during a couple of those songs. Godamn Disney cartoons.

 

[kunonabi]

I found them to be mostly middling outside of "You're Welcome" which could have been an all time classic if the Rock could actually sing.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Gotta agree with this despite really enjoying Moana. Tangled has a better collection of songs. Yeah, I said it. Hell, I liked the songs in Princess and the Frog better.

While similar sparse in songs there's really only 1 stinker at best in Tangled.

I honestly think Shiny is the only weak-link in the entire soundtrack.

"We Know the Way" is my personal favorite.

That and the intro Tuloa Tagaloa are the only ones I love.

 

[jstevenson]

well since Frozen yeah, so not that long a time.

but the music is great.


YOU'RE WELCOME

(Shiny is also awesome, it would be the best boss fight music ever... kind of always makes me think of the Great and Mighty Poo)

 

[BlueTsunami]

I'm sorry but Inglorious Basterds 'Cat People' blows this all away

 

[oti]

Your autocorrect changed Rapunzel to Moana.

 

[Parmadillo Marshmallow]

I haven't listened to the songs since watching the movie in the theater, but at the time I felt the songs were trying to stuff too much "explainy" lyrics in them. Like they were less songs than they were monologues in song form.

 

[Red]

The best of all Disney musicals. I was blown away when I saw it. Far and away the best of CGI Disney.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

I haven't listened to the songs since watching the movie in the theater, but at the time I felt the songs were trying to stuff too much "explainy" lyrics in them. Like they were less songs than they were monologues in song form.

That's all musicals though, mess

 

[Justin Bailey]

Shiny really grew on me. At first I thought it was weird, but I started appreciating it more and more each listen.

 

[lightskintwin]

I haven't listened to the songs since watching the movie in the theater, but at the time I felt the songs were trying to stuff too much "explainy" lyrics in them. Like they were less songs than they were monologues in song form.

In musicals, the lyrics in songs should help drive the plot and characters.

 

[jstevenson]

I haven't listened to the songs since watching the movie in the theater, but at the time I felt the songs were trying to stuff too much "explainy" lyrics in them. Like they were less songs than they were monologues in song form.

that's pretty Lin though, and very ok in musicals.

they are also super "game-driven" musicals, in my mind. Each one plays out almost like a good sketch (in terms of structure and pacing - they are obviously monologue-ish, though with the context of the action in the film it works), some escalating from verse to verse while also having a really strong core theme from the chorus.


like a lot of Lin stuff, it grows on you more as you listen to it and pick up all of the brilliant puns and word games in it. It's too much to digest in one listen

 

[AcademicSaucer]

The only Amazing song is "We know the way", all the others fulfill their purpose within the movie but thats it.

 

[Ouroboros]

"I am Moana" is epic in its own right. Shiny is the worst song I've ever heard. So awkward.

 

[jonno394]

I loved the film and soundtrack. How Far I'll go and I am Moana are just great pieces for her character, and Your Welcome and Shiny are catchy as hell.

One of my favorites though is a song that never made its way in to the film due to story changes (?) 'More (reprise)'

https://youtu.be/XAw_91ONOCE

 

[dmshaposv]

Amazing OST.

You're welcome, shiny and We know the way, how far I'll go - these 4 songs are better than anything disney musicals have put out in a decade.

 

[Parmadillo Marshmallow]

In musicals, the lyrics in songs should help drive the plot and characters.

Yeah but I feel like they could have made them more like proper songs, and less like "let's try to fit as much exposition into this song as possible."

 

[jstevenson]

Amazing OST.

You're welcome, shiny and We know the way, how far I'll go - these 4 songs are better than anything disney musicals have put out in a decade.

eh, Let it Go, First Time in Forever, Fixer Upper, Do You Want a Build a Snowman are a strong suite too.

I rank Frozen / Moana pretty equally on musical chops, but both are Platinum tier Disney musicals

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

Every time my daughter sings "I wish I could be the perfect daughter" or "what is wrong with meeee" I want to give her a big hug and reassure her nothing's wrong! But I can't because I'm driving the car.

 

[Friggz]

Shiny fucking owns. Like seriously, maybe my most enjoyable Disney song combined with scene ever. You're Welcome and the scene that goes with it is also fantastic too.

The others are solid, but no Prince Ali or Be Our Guest. My girlfriend loves the "Edge of the waaatter" song so much. So yeah, it's good.

shiny is legit the worst song disney has ever released. youre welcome is enjoyable.

 

[a Master Ninja]

"How Far I'll Go" is a superior song to "Let It Go", and yet 1% as popular. Hell, Moana in general is just a better movie than Frozen. Greatest injustice since the Cars franchise became more popular/profitable than everything else Pixar does combined.

 

[Messofanego]

I found most of the songs obnoxious.

Mulan has yet to be beat for me.

 

[lightskintwin]

Yeah but I feel like they could have made them more like proper songs, and less like "let's try to fit as much exposition into this song as possible."

Once again that's how songs in musicals are supposed to be structured. Songs that didn't are actually a failure of utilizing the medium of musicals to it's fullest unless they're jukebox musicals like Trolls.

 

[Hopeford]

You're Welcome is amazing because it sounds like The Rock isn't actually singing, just talking and getting by on charisma. And he actually does succeed at getting through a song with just charisma, which is amazing.

 

[somecrazymember]

My favorite disney songs since i was a kid

 

[bounchfx]

really great soundtrack! listened to it a ton after watching the movie