Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear called Lin-Manuel Miranda for advice while working on the hit animated Disney sequel

Amid the divisive audience response to the Moana 2 soundtrack, Lin-Manuel Miranda has now explained his absence from the sequel in a new interview.

In a new interview, Lin-Manuel Miranda shared why he didn't return for the sequel, despite writing award-winning songs for Disney's 2016 animated hit.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the award-winning composer of the original Moana, has shared why he didn’t return for the highly anticipated sequel, Moana 2. Despite fans expecting his involvement, the songwriter clarified that the decision was due to the film's production process and timing.

Lin-Manuel Miranda was noticeably absent from Moana 2. Miranda, who received an Oscar nomination for the song “How Far I’ll Go” in Moana, did not work on the music for the sequel. Instead, Miranda was the composer and lyricist on Mufasa: The Lion King.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is opening up about why he didn't return for 'Moana 2.' Miranda, who wrote the music for 2016's 'Moana' and received an Oscar nomination for the song "How Far I'll Go," recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his latest work on 'Mufasa: The Lion King alongside the film's director Barry Jenkins.

After his work on the first movie earned him Oscars attention, Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t return for Disney’s Moana 2, and he now explains why.