Disney Officially Nominates Two ‘Moana 2’ Songs For Best Original Song

Although Moana 2 is still a month away from its release, Disney already has its sights set on award season.

According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is submitting “Beyond” and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” for consideration for the Best Original Song Academy Award.

Photo: Disney

Both tracks from the upcoming film were written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.

The Songs in Question

“Beyond” is Moana 2‘s showstopping number. The song serves as the film’s anthem and has drawn comparisons to “How Far I’ll Go” from the first Moana film. It is performed by Auli’i Cravalho and includes Pacific choral vocals written and arranged by Opetaia Foa’i.

Photo: Disney

“Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” is performed by Dwayne Johnson and serves as Moana 2′s comic relief song. The first Moana featured a similar number, “You’re Welcome.”

Disney’s Oscar Strategy

Once upon a time, Disney would submit multiple songs from its big animated soundtracks. Initially, the strategy worked. The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin all received multiple nominations and won the award.

As all of the tracks on those films’ soundtracks were written by Alan Menken, there was eventually a pushback from the industry. In June 2008, the Academy implemented a rule that no more than three songs from any one soundtrack could be submitted, and no more than two songs from any film by the exact same songwriter could be shortlisted.

Disney initially decided to submit just one song from each film. This strategy backfired, however, with 2021’s Encanto. Because the studio filed the submission before the film was released, Disney submitted “Dos Oruguitas.” Eventually, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” would become the breakout hit from the film.

Source: Disney

Moana 2 will hit theaters on November 27.