Disney launches Moana press tour with new song Along The Way

Disney opened its live-action Moana campaign with a clear signal to skeptical fans: the studio is leaning on the music, the original voices and the franchise’s Pacific roots to prove the remake can broaden the brand without losing what made the animated film resonate.

The centerpiece is Along The Way, a new original song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and performed by Catherine Lagaaia, Dwayne Johnson and Aulii Cravalho, the voice of Moana in the animated films. Disney paired the debut with a behind-the-scenes featurette and a music video, turning the rollout into more than a teaser for one track and using the song to frame the live-action project as a continuation of the original’s musical identity.

That strategy matters for a title as closely watched as Moana, where the risks of adaptation are as much cultural as commercial. By putting Lagaaia and Cravalho together in the same musical moment, Disney is signaling that the new film is not trying to erase the legacy of the animated version. It is also putting Dwayne Johnson, who returns as Maui, at the center of the launch, underscoring the studio’s effort to keep recognizable voices attached to a new cast and a new screen version of the story.

The soundtrack rollout stretches well beyond the single. Disney said the official Moana original soundtrack will arrive on June 26, 2026, followed by a deluxe edition on July 8. The original score album, composed by Mark Mancina, is set for July 10, the same day the live-action film opens in theaters. Disney has also announced an inspired-by album, Moana: Voices Across The Ocean, for July 31, described as featuring Pacific artists representing seven different island cultures.

Miranda said it was “such a joy” to return to the world of Moana and praised the blend of Aulii Cravalho and Catherine Lagaaia’s voices. That detail gives the campaign its sharpest commercial and cultural edge: Disney is not only selling a remake, it is trying to reassure audiences that the film’s music, casting and sense of place still come from the world that made the original a global hit.