Famous composer Lin-Manuel Miranda returns to Disney again with film soundtrack Mufasa: The Lion King. The New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent has already written songs for films such as Moana (Moana in Spain), Charm or remake Little Mermaid. Now he takes it upon himself to revive one of the most beloved scores in film history in this prequel about his dad. Simba.
“In fact, this is a big responsibility. I remember seeing this movie when I was 14. And also the Broadway musical where they took those five original songs and used In summer. And Mark Mancinawith whom I worked on new songs,” he tells us enthusiastically. Lin-Manuel Miranda in an exclusive interview provided by Hipertextual for the film premiere Mufasa: The Lion King.
“Lion King It’s almost a musical genre with African rhythms and South African harmonies,” the composer even suggests. “It was incredible for me to work with Barry Jenkins. I was very surprised by the script. Because, you know, we all think we know Mufasa. But this story is very original. I also felt an opportunity to find new moments in this world,” he adds. Miranda.
Secrets Lion King
At 44 years old, his career is extensive and widely recognized throughout the world. He created Broadway musicals. On top And Hamilton and has received a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, five Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations, among many other awards. And yet, Lin-Manuel Miranda finds himself unable to decipher the formula for a success as stunning as a movie soundtrack Lion King.
“It all starts with one of our best writers, as he is Elton John and also Tim Rice. And this is something so elementary. It’s like science fiction and fantasy. “When you write about animals, you can say honest things that sometimes you can’t do with people,” he muses. That’s exactly what he tried to do. Mufasa: The Lion King.
“Every time you hold a child or a cat in the air… How that moment of new life brought our culture into the world. This movie is in everyone’s blood,” illustrating the vital importance of this soundtrack in pop culture. “The opportunity to tell new stories in this world was incredible. But I don’t know the secret why they get so stuck in my head. I only know that they are a part of my heart, just like everyone else,” he says in this regard.
Love and Villains
What’s clear Lin-Manuel Miranda This is the Disney song he loves to listen to. “For me, making this film was a way to explore that because I grew up in an era where there were always romantic ballads. kiss her (The Little Mermaid), Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) Ideal world (Aladdin) or How strange I am (Tarzan). So be able to write a romantic ballad for Mufasa And Sarabi “It was a dream,” he admits.
But this was not the only task that worried him. Mufasa: The Lion King. “And also write an angry song for Kiros. I really liked it. You know, in Charm The bad thing is that this is generational trauma. So the opportunity to write for the big bad lion really appealed to me… Because those were the songs I liked. I liked it Poor disgraced souls (The Little Mermaid) or Get ready (The Lion King). I really liked that I was able to make my small contribution to this tradition,” he adds.
Create your own voice
In any case, the idea with Mufasa: The Lion King It had to honor the traditions of the saga and Disney’s past, but at the same time find its own voice. “It was the script that made it possible because it goes in completely different directions, but it also feels like when you watch the original film, you realize that this is the Bible, that this Shakespeare. The theme of betrayal had these two echoes,” he says, giving credit to the story that came to mind.
“This story of betrayal already exists in Shakespeare and in the Bible. And in this film we touch on these echoes. Be able to write a song without spoilers about betrayal at the moment when Taka turn your soul into Scar… Being able to set music to that moment is something we dream about as composers. “These are the moments of maximum drama,” concludes the man responsible for the group’s new songs. Mufasa: The Lion Kingwhich is already in theaters.
Source: Hiper Textual
