He arrived at the cinema Mufasa: The Lion Kingthe prequel directed by Barry Jenkins which tells for the first time the story of the majestic king of the savannah, father of the lion Simba in the 1994 animated film and in its 2019 retelling. Through the words of Rafiki, the film made with photorealistic CGI technique traces the legend of Mufasa, an orphaned puppy who meets a future prince named Taka, with whom he forms a very strong bond. But the affection between the two will be put to the test by a threatening and lethal enemy. We met composer Lin-Manuel Mirandain collaboration with MyRedCarpet, who after giving us the unforgettable soundtracks of Oceania ed Charmand after working on the live action de The Little Mermaidtook up the legacy of Elton John, trying his hand at the de franchise for the first time The Lion King.
The interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hello!
Empire Land: Hello! Nice to see you again, we met a few years ago when Encanto came out. I'm a big fan of your work, so I'm happy to chat with you again.
Lin-Manuel Miranda: Thank you!
Empire Land: Let's talk about Mufasa. I'm curious to know more about your approach to the material, because The Lion King was a particular project for Disney. At the time they were doing a lot of soundtracks inspired by Broadway musicals, but for The Lion King they took a completely different route and chose Elton John, which was very unusual for the time. What was your approach to the legacy of the franchise, also considering that Mufasa is an original story?
Lin-Manuel Miranda: It makes me smile that you say it was a break from the Broadway style of that golden era of Disney, because today The Lion King is one of the longest-running Broadway musicals. So in the end he ended up on Broadway too. I remember consuming that soundtrack, not just Elton John's songs, but also Hans Zimmer's beautiful instrumentals. And I remember seeing the musical. Now The Lion King has almost become a musical genre in itself: when you hear Lebo M.'s voice, you immediately understand that you are in the world of the Lion King, inspired by the rhythms and harmonies of South Africa, and you understand how special it is. Writing for these characters was both scary and exciting. I was very surprised by the script. I didn't know what to expect, I just knew that Barry Jenkins was involved and that was enough to convince me. The story really amazed me, it has the same biblical and Shakespearean tones as the original but takes completely different directions from what I expected for Mufasa. So I started with the story and did my best to give justice to the musical moments.
Impero Land: You have now collaborated several times with this company. But, exactly, how do you write a Disney song? As a huge fan, sometimes I hear a tune and think, “That's so Disney-esque.” But at the same time, their songs are very different from each other. Do you think “the Disney sound” really exists?
Lin-Manuel Miranda: What for me my favorite songs have in common – and in a hundred years of history there have been many different types – is storytelling. For example, Under the Sea is crazy, but at the end of that song Ariel leaves. Or At Dawn I Will Rise, in which we see the princess become aware of her power and overturn all expectations. I love songs that move the story forward. When I read the Mufasa script, I imagined songs that could accompany the turning points of the story, the most important dramatic moments. I think what's most scary is the legacy. When I worked on Oceania, for example, I asked myself: but how can I write an I Want Song, in a universe in which Part of your world already exists, At dawn I will rise, Belle… But it is an interesting challenge, also because the answer is always specificity. You have to forget about the past and ask yourself: what does this specific character need, what does he dream of? And then you have to write the answer as specifically as possible.
Impero Land: As a final question, was there a character you particularly saw yourself in or for whom it was very easy to find the voice?
Lin-Manuel Miranda: I have to say it was a lot of fun writing a Disney love song for the first time. Moana had her hero's journey, she had no time for love. In Encanto there were too many family problems and a lot of generational trauma. But I grew up with Kiss Her, Beauty and the Beast, Part of Your World and Outside of Me, let's not forget Phil Collins. It was beautiful to write this ballad for Mufasa, who perceives himself as incapable of loving and being loved, and to see his relationship with Sarabi grow. It was very nice to write.
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