Tag Archives: Tom MacDougall

Behind the scenes of “Moana” music

It was a joy to host the Sunday Q&A with the braintrust behind the music of Disney’s new animated Moana, which I believe will be a big hit for the studio. After the Society of Composers & Lyricists screening of the film at Pacific Design Center, I quizzed Tony-winning Hamilton genius Lin-Manuel Miranda, Samoan-born singer-songwriter Opetaia Foa’i, score composer Mark Mancina, and Disney music producer Tom MacDougall, about how the songs and score came about; about their commitment to authenticity in conveying the music of South Pacific cultures; and just how Miranda managed to juggle Hamilton and Moana at the same time. These guys were informative, candid and funny. Here, incidentally, is the story I wrote for Variety about the songs and score.

The music of “Frozen”

I walked into a scoring session for Frozen, not really knowing what to expect (except that I knew Chris Beck’s score would be great, and it was). What I found was a surprising group of musicians, songwriters, Disney animators and executives who hoped that, somehow, this long-in-gestation version of “The Snow Queen” would somehow resonate with moviegoers. (Boy, did it.) We were proud to introduce the musical ideas first, in the pages of Variety.