More than likely, you're one of the many people who went out to the theaters this past weekend to see Disney strike gold once more with their latest film, Moana. Part of the success could be chalked up to the songwriting skills of PEGOT in the making, Lin-Manuel Miranda. You wouldn't be blamed for thinking so, as the man has a way with music that transforms anything into a catchy tune worth singing along with. And singing is what you'll be doing once you watch "You're Welcome," one of the songs from Moana that is from Miranda's pen and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's mouth. Enjoy the collaboration below:
Naturally, DisneyMusicVEVO was wise in releasing the video to their official channel after a Thanksgiving weekend that brought in $81.1 million for the film's initial frame at the box office. With the Moana brand in the public eye, there's a solid chance that the collaboration between Mark Mancini, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Opetaia Foa'i on the film's soundtrack could become a hit album in its own right. So what better to use as bait for record sales than the full scene from the hit film. While this is great for Moana obsessives in the making, it's also goes a tremendous way to sell the film from the film-making end as well.
In the case of the visuals displayed in the video for "You're Welcome," it's a pretty lush portrait of what Moana as a whole represents as a film. With its CGI elements in fine form, the film actually integrates those computer generated characters with some old school-looking hand-drawn animation. In fact, it looks so hand drawn, that it feels like the kids of the animation crew drew it, and that's a compliment of the highest order, as the kids' drawing feel just helps the bouncy feeling of the song's unique tempo. Though, to be fair, this song will more than likely sound extremely familiar to fans of Hamilton: An American Musical.
"You're Welcome" has a blend of fast-paced rapping, a clever hook that flows without a flaw and has a character bragging about their accomplishments. While that might sound like 90% of Hamilton's track list, "Washington On Your Side" is the song that best fits the bill, as you can see for yourself with the video below.
Whether Moana scales the same heights as Hamilton: An American Musical remains to be seen. However, you can rest assured that the work in Disney's latest film is definitely on par with that of Lin-Manuel Miranda's award winning musical. With his acting and music chops attached to Mary Poppins Returns and The Little Mermaid remake, there's plenty of magic left for Miranda to weave over children and parents alike for years to come. That's surely something we can all say "Thank you" for.
Moana is currently in theaters, with the soundtrack album also in stores. The petition for a Dwayne Johnson/Leslie Odom Jr. Christmas album has yet to materialize.
